LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent by her Office on  (a) alcohol and  (b) entertaining in the last 12 months.

Helen Goodman: Following the machinery of government changes in May 2007, the Leader of the House of Commons office forms part of the Cabinet Office. Information prior to May 2007 is available only at disproportionate cost.
	The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be answering this question shortly on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Carbon Emissions: Business

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many FTSE 100 companies meet minimum reporting guidelines on greenhouse gas emissions;
	(2)  what steps have been taken to encourage FTSE 100 companies to include information on carbon dioxide emissions in their annual reports.

Phil Woolas: The Government require companies and industries to report on their Greenhouse Gas emissions, including CO2, in a standardised way. For example, all installations taking part in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme must monitor and report their CO2 emissions in accordance with guidelines produced by the European Commission.
	The Carbon Reduction Commitment, which will come into force in 2010, will require companies involved in the mandatory trading scheme to monitor their energy use and report it annually in a standardised format. This will cover a large number of FTSE 100 companies.
	In addition, from 1 October 2007, quoted companies have been required to ensure that their Business Review includes information on environmental matters to the extent necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of the company's business. The first reports under this new regime will not be published until later this year.
	The Government have also supported the work of the Carbon Disclosure Project. This is a voluntary investor-driven approach aimed at encouraging companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions data. In 2007, 91 per cent. of FTSE 100 companies disclosed to CDP. This is an increase from 83 per cent. in 2006.

Carbon Emissions: China

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research to measure the level of carbon emissions resulting from the production of goods in China for the export market in 2007.

Phil Woolas: We have no plans to commission research to measure the level of global carbon emissions from the production of goods in China for the export market. Estimates of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Chinese economy as a whole are available from the International Energy Agency.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the carbon dioxide emissions from operation of their Departments' computer hardware.

Phil Woolas: While I have had no discussions, DEFRA officials are fully engaged on a cross departmental basis in taking forward initiatives to reduce the carbon and energy footprint of the Government's information technology estate.
	The Chief Technology Officer's (CTO) Council Green Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Delivery sub group was set up in December to review our needs and produce actionable toolkits for both Government and its industry suppliers. DEFRA participates in the CTO Green ICT working group promulgating and promoting best practice across Departments, including a "Top Tips list for Green ICT" shortly to be placed on the DEFRA website.
	All central Government Departments are currently mandated to purchase IT equipment to minimum energy efficiency specifications. These specifications are continually under review and we are carrying out an analysis of more rigorous sustainable standards that we aim to recommend as best practice to all Government Departments in the near future.

Eller Brook Stream

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is responsible for Eller Brook stream at the rear of the property on Ellerbrook Close, Heath Charnock, Chorley.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 22 February 2008
	Eller Brook at this location is classified as an 'ordinary watercourse'. Managing flooding from ordinary watercourses is the responsibility of the local council, in this case, Chorley borough council.
	Chorley borough council has permissive powers to address flooding issues.

Environmental Action Fund: Finance

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been budgeted for the biodiversity elements of the Environmental Action Fund/Countdown 2010 Fund in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; how much funding is available for biodiversity projects under the funds run by non-governmental organisations in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Natural England's budget for 2008-09 was announced on 21 February and final decisions on budget allocations for the Environmental Action Fund/Countdown 2010 have yet to be made. Figures for Natural England's budget in future years will be announced in due course.
	I will ask Natural England's chief executive to write to the hon. Member when these figures have been confirmed.

Fuel Poverty: Standards

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the implications would be of the Government not meeting its target of eradicating fuel poverty by 2016.

Phil Woolas: We remain committed to the eradication of fuel poverty. Our aim in England, restated in 'Fuel Poverty in England: The Government's Plan for Action', is to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, by 22 November 2016. The target for the UK as a whole is 2016-18.
	Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for the Government. DEFRA will continue to discharge its duties and responsibilities under the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 with the aim of ensuring, as far as is reasonably practicable, that people do not live in fuel poverty by the set date.
	As with any target with a statutory basis, failure to achieve this carries the risk of a legal challenge. We do not take this risk lightly and remain committed to achieving the 2016-18 target across the UK.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to change arrangements for field trials for GM crops in relation to transparency of operations and identification of crops.

Phil Woolas: We have no specific plans to change the existing arrangements for publishing GM crop trial locations on the DEFRA website. We are, however, keeping this issue under general review, because there are a small minority of people who seem to be intent on destroying any GM trials. This is a concern if legitimate and potentially beneficial research is either being discouraged or not allowed to proceed.

Genetically Modified Organisms: EU Action

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of whether qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers will apply to UK policy on regulating growth of genetically modified crops in the UK.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 21 February 2008
	Decisions on proposals for the commercial cultivation of GM crops are taken at European Union level. Consistent with the EU legislation, the UK voting position is based on what the scientific evidence indicates about the safety of each crop in question for human health and the environment. DEFRA consults the relevant authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland before the UK position is finalised. There are no plans for the UK position to be determined on the basis of qualified majority voting.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on the effects reducing the Warm Front grant will have on the move away from oil installed heating systems to low carbon systems or renewables.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA has had no discussions with HM Treasury regarding this issue. DEFRA is continuing to actively assess the suitability of alternative low carbon technologies to integrate into Warm Front.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Cost Effectiveness

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure that Warm Front grants provide value for money.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA employs independent quality assessors, who have completed two reviews of Warm Front pricing. These reviews have shown that Warm Front charges provide value for money.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Heating

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the process is for servicing boilers installed under the Warm Front scheme; how often boilers and central heating appliances are serviced under the Warm Front scheme; what the response time is when boilers or central heating appliances are reported faulty under the Warm Front scheme; what the procedure is, under the Warm Front scheme, for those left without heating or hot water when appliances fitted under Warm Front break down; and whether there is a procedure for emergency situations when such boilers or heating appliances break down.

Phil Woolas: Gas boilers installed or repaired under Warm Front receive two annual service visits. These are carried out approximately 12 and 24 months after the date of installation.
	Warm Front customers who have received a gas boiler have access to a 24 hour breakdown line, which operates seven days a week and 365 days a year. In the majority of cases this service provides either a same day or next day response. Temporary heaters will also be provided under certain circumstances.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average size was of Warm Front grant approved in Tamworth constituency in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: Over the last three scheme years, the average cost of each grant approved is as follows:
	
		
			  Scheme year  Average spend (£) 
			 2005-06 1,211.59 
			 2006-07 1,030.75 
			 2007-08 1,788.31

National Bee Unit: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much he has spent in the National Bee Unit in each year since 1997; how much he intends to spend over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1089W.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average length of closed periods will be under the new regime for nitrate-vulnerable zones.

Phil Woolas: Manures and manufactured fertilisers cannot be applied in nitrate-vulnerable zones during defined closed periods. Proposals set out in the recent consultation for redefining the closed periods for organic manures have been developed using a targeted approach based on soil type, land use (arable or grassland) and rainfall. Under those proposals, the average length of the closed periods would be just over four months. There are no proposals to redefine closed periods for manufactured fertilisers.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Standards

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether the public service agreement target to ensure that 95 per cent. of sites of special scientific interest are in favourable condition by 2010 remains in place;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the public service agreement target to ensure that 95 per cent. of sites of special scientific interest are in favourable condition by 2010.

Joan Ruddock: We remain committed to achieving the public service agreement target to bring 95 per cent. of sites of special scientific interest by area into favourable or recovering condition by 2010. This target will become a departmental strategic objective under the new natural environment public service agreement.
	Within the Major Landowners Group, my officials meet regularly with representatives of other organisations with a significant role in delivery of this target. This provides a mechanism for identification of emerging issues and ensures that they are discussed at the appropriate level.

Tree Preservation Orders: Guildford

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will give consent to Guildford borough council for tree protection orders to be placed on its departmental land at Epsom Road, Guildford prior to its forthcoming sale and disposal to a housing developer.

Joan Ruddock: As part of the preparation for a planning application at the Guildford site DEFRA has undertaken a joint survey with Guildford borough council of the trees and, under the guidance of the tree preservation officer has identified a number of trees that are worthy of retention (some having been identified as restricting the sustainable growth of others).
	DEFRA has no objection to the principle of imposing a TPO but would not expect this to be undertaken while in the ownership of DEFRA, pending disposal.
	DEFRA is awaiting confirmation from the council as to the identification of those trees to which an Order would relate.

Wildlife: Environment Protection

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for a statutory regime to govern the adaptation of wildlife habitats in response to climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Government believe that the current regime adequately covers any adaptation of wildlife habitats that may be required in response to climate change.
	Last year we published "Conserving biodiversity in a changing climate: guidance on building capacity to adapt", which is directed at those who plan and deliver conservation of terrestrial biodiversity.
	The UK was also the first country to produce a national Biodiversity Action Plan in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan comprises both species and habitats action plans. In 2007, the UK Biodiversity Partnership published a new list of priority habitats, containing 65 habitat types. These priority habitats are a focus for conservation during the next decade and the impacts of climate change will feature in conservation actions.

Wildlife: Environment Protection

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what species are to be removed from Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; what mechanisms will be put in place to monitor the effect on wild populations of such species; and what the expected cost is of such monitoring.

Joan Ruddock: The list of species to be removed from Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 has not been finalised and will be subject to further discussions with the devolved administrations. I hope the revised schedule will take effect from 1 October this year.
	The Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Statutory Nature Conservation Agencies support a range of bird surveillance and monitoring schemes in the United Kingdom, usually in partnership with specialist non-government organisations. Surveillance schemes may include annual or periodic assessment of population size and distribution and allow trends in both to be derived. Schemes are tailored to provide comprehensive coverage of common and rare species in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Monitoring is undertaken as part of the JNCC's and Statutory Nature Conservation Agencies' statutory obligations and would not incur any additional costs.

TRANSPORT

Dartford Tunnel

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average number of  (a) daily and  (b) annual crossings made at the Dartford Crossing, broken down by vehicle category, was in the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The figures requested are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average daily traffic flows 
			   Motorbikes  Cars  Vans  HGVs/PSVs  Total 
			 2003 1,005 107,763 21,334 15,998 146,106 
			 2004 981 109,430 22,420 16,795 149,631 
			 2005 1,017 107,998 22,454 16,915 148,390 
			 2006 1 ,024 107,101 22,689 16,607 147,426 
			 2007 1,075 104,753 22,820 17,037 145,690 
		
	
	
		
			  Annual traffic flows 
			   Motorbikes  Cars  Vans  HGVs/PSVs  Total 
			 2003 366,849 39,333,500 7,786,829 5,839,418 53,328,599 
			 2004 358,908 40,051,354 8,205,557 6,146,979 54,764,802 
			 2005 371,024 39,419,306 8,195,879 6,174,141 54,162,355 
			 2006 373,639 39,091,736 8,281,632 6,061,508 53,810,521 
			 2007 392,340 38,234,700 8,329,418 6,218,527 53,176,992

Dartford Tunnel: Tolls

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the Dartford Crossing tolls.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport received several thousand representations in response to the consultation on the Dartford Crossing charges that finished in March last year. These included representations from local residents, trade associations, local government and local MPs. The views expressed in these responses have been taken into account in the proposals for a local residents' discount scheme, issued for consultation on 15 February 2008.

Driving: Licensing

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to publish the consultation document on fitness to drive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We intend to consult on options for change to health and driver licensing arrangements later this year.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the likely increase in annual fuel consumption resulting from the requirement to have daytime running lamps on motor vehicles.  [Official Report, 3 March 2008, Vol. 472, c. 22MC.]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Research undertaken for the Department for Transport indicated that the requirement for new types of motor vehicle to be equipped with dedicated daytime running lamps would result in an increase of about 5 per cent. in fuel consumption.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 788W, on motor vehicles: safety, what provisions have been agreed with her EU counterparts on the exemption of vehicles registered for road use before the commencement of the relevant European directive from the mandatory use of daytime running lights or their equivalent.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Following EU decisions on daytime running lights (DRL) issues, a European Directive will require new vehicle types to be equipped with dedicated DRLs from early 2011 (cars, vans) and summer 2012 (other vehicles). Vehicles registered before these dates will not be required to be retro-fitted with DRLs or to use existing lights as an equivalent.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines her Department has issued to statutory authorities on  (a) measuring the level of degradation of road surfacing and  (b) the time scales for resurfacing each of the categories of degraded road surfacing.

Rosie Winterton: Local highway authorities have a duty under the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways in their charge. As part of the Best Value regime, they are required to report annually on the condition of those highways. Guidance on the calculation of such Best Value Condition Indicators, including reference to the road surface condition parameters to be measured, is provided on the Department's website.
	Decisions on what maintenance should be undertaken, and when, is a matter for each individual highway authority. The Department endorses 'Well-maintained Highways' (TSO, 2005) produced by the UK Roads Board, which provides best practice guidance on maintenance management.

Sexual Harassment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints of  (a) sexual harassment and  (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Due to the low number of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination complaints in the Department for Transport and its agencies, this information is withheld on the grounds of confidentiality.

Transport: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the merits of ring-fencing local authority grants to community transport providers.

Rosie Winterton: The conditions attached to the Department's grants to local authorities, or other bodies, reflect the particular circumstances of each case. However, it is Government policy to reduce the proportion of total local authority funding which is given by means of ring-fenced grants to enable more decisions about local issues to be made locally.
	The level and form of local authority support for community transport is a matter for local decision.
	It is for each local authority to determine the conditions which apply to any grants they provide for community transport providers.

Travel: Concessions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to extend the concessionary travel scheme to  (a) long distance coach travel and  (b) other forms of public transport.

Rosie Winterton: Since 2003 there has been a half-fare concessionary travel scheme for older and eligible disabled people on long distance coaches. It is a voluntary scheme but the major providers of long distance coach services take part. The scheme will continue following the introduction of the England-wide free off-peak local bus travel concession in April. There are no proposals at present to extend statutory concessionary fares to forms of transport other than local buses.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Department of Resources: Pay

Martyn Jones: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what pay grades are applicable to members of staff working for the Department of Resources.

Nick Harvey: As at 31 January 2008, the Department of Resources employed 136.28 full-time equivalent staff (FTE), broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Pay band  FTE 
			 Band SCS2 1 
			 Band SCS1A 1 
			 Band SCS1 4 
			 Band A1 3.21 
			 Band A2 14.79 
			 Band B1 21.18 
			 Band B2 19.2 
			 Band C 42.4 
			 Band D1 27.5 
			 Band D2 1 
			 Sandwich Student 1 
			 Total 136.28 
		
	
	An organisational chart detailing individual pay bands for staff can be found on the Department of Resources intranet site.

Members: Allowances

Martyn Jones: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what percentage of the Department of Resources staff time is spent administering the allowances of hon. Members.

Nick Harvey: About one quarter of all departmental staff time is devoted to administering Members' allowances. This equates to some 35 full-time equivalent staff.

Security

John Hayes: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, 
	(1)  how many persons who are not nationals of EU member states hold a parliamentary pass;
	(2)  how many non-European nationals hold a parliamentary pass.

Nick Harvey: There are currently 1,312 valid parliamentary passes issued to individuals whose nationality is other than British.
	Records are not held in a form which distinguishes the number of non-European from European nationals.

WALES

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on  (a) alcohol and  (b) entertaining in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: My Department spent a total of £12,631.87 on entertaining in the last 12 months. The figures for entertaining are not split between alcohol and food, and these could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by Senior Civil Service staff in his Department in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

Paul Murphy: The amount claimed by senior civil service staff in the financial year 2006-07 was £2,582.79.

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what property has been lost or stolen from his Department since 1997; and what the cost of replacement was.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. Since 1999 our records show that we have lost:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Three mobile handsets 40 
			 Ancillary cabling for a laptop 107 
			 Two security passes 0 
			 Digital camera 100 
			 Train ticket 144 
		
	
	There have been no items reported stolen.

Departmental Sick Pay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of sickness pay to staff within his Department was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Paul Murphy: The cost of sickness pay is not readily available in the format requested, and obtaining this could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	However, in 2006-07, which is the latest year for which figures have been published, of all Government Departments the Wales Office had the lowest number of days lost due to sickness per member of staff, at just 1.6 days in the year.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on first class travel in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by staff grade.

Paul Murphy: My Department has spent the following amounts on first class travel in 2007:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Ministerial travel 2,836.32 
			 Officials 89,606.73 
		
	
	The breakdown by staff grade can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	My Office is split over two sites, namely London and Cardiff, and staff are required to travel frequently between both offices. The Wales Office, however, makes good use of advanced ticket bookings to achieve value for money.

Fair Trade Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to promote Fair Trade Fortnight 2008 among staff within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: My Department does not have any in-house catering facilities. Where possible, taking account of value for money, fair trade products are used.
	To support Fair Trade Fortnight 2008, an e-mail, alerting all staff to the event, and linking them to the Fair Trade website, has been sent.

OLYMPICS

Humanitarian Assistance Unit

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the cost of her Department's Humanitarian Assistance Unit was in each of the last three years.

Tessa Jowell: The total cost of the unit and its work since it was established in 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06(1) 663,000 
			 2006-07 659,000 
			 2007-08(2) 420,500 
			 (1) Not full year (2) To date

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she has plans to move the 2012 Olympics shooting events to sites other than Woolwich.

Tessa Jowell: There are no plans to move the shooting event to an alternative venue.
	The Royal Artillery barracks at Woolwich was selected as the venue for Olympic and Paralympic shooting events in 2012 following feedback from the International Olympic Committee and consultation with the International Shooting Federation and British Shooting (the national governing body). Woolwich has the advantage of being close to the Olympic Park and Village, which will improve the athlete and spectator experience. The decision to stage the event at Woolwich is now part of the Host City Contract with the IOC.

Olympic Games 2012: Wildlife

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent progress has been made on the relocation of  (a) wildlife and  (b) feral cats from the Olympic site at Stratford; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: In parallel with ongoing site clearance and preparation works, the Olympic Delivery Authority continues its comprehensive ecology programme to ensure the preservation and protection of wildlife in the Olympic Park. Where possible, habitats are being safeguarded and will remain in place but, where wildlife cannot be protected sufficiently on-site, the ODA is working with the nearby Waterworks Nature Reserve and Hackney council to create alternative habitats in the local area. The ODA is also preparing a small nature reserve at East Marsh to become home to a variety of wildlife including birds, frogs, spiders and beetles with planting scheduled to commence in the spring.
	To date, thousands of newts and hundreds of toads have been translocated to specially created ponds on the Waterworks Reserve and aquatics experts have moved fish away from the clearance and dredging works on the Pudding Mill river to the nearby river Lea. New nest areas suitable for the breeding and feeding patterns of kingfishers and sand martins have also been created at the Waterworks.
	The ODA is also working with the Celia Hammond Animal Trust (CHAT) to ensure the well-being and safe capture of any feral cats remaining on the site. To date, around 170 cats have been safely taken off site for re-homing by the trust. The ODA continues to work closely with the trust to allow access to those areas safe from construction activities.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Embassies: Industrial Disputes

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what undertakings were given to staff at the British embassy in Dublin on local labour relations procedures and the treatment of industrial relations disputes.

Jim Murphy: Our embassy in Dublin has regularly informed staff that it is committed to handling labour relations in accordance with good employer practice, local employment law and the (non-binding) procedural agreement signed in 2003 between our embassy and the Unite trade union.

Embassies: Industrial Disputes

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to promote dialogue between the British embassy in Dublin and the Unite trade union within the framework of the Labour Relations Commission apparatus in Ireland.

Jim Murphy: Our embassy in Dublin and Unite, acting on behalf of the embassy's local Staff Association, reached a mutually satisfactory agreement on the consequences for staff of the restructuring of the UK Trade and Investment section on 21 February.

Embassies: Redundancy

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) voluntary and  (b) compulsory redundancies of Irish employees are planned at the British embassy in Dublin; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Three compulsory redundancies were made recently at our embassy in Dublin, as a result of UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) wider restructuring of their global network in line with their new strategic priorities.
	Our embassy and Unite, acting on behalf of the embassy's local Staff Association, reached a mutually satisfactory agreement on the consequences for staff of the restructuring of the UKTI section.

Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the record of Equatorial Guinea in  (a) according fair trials to and  (b) observing the human rights of individuals held captive in Black Beach prison.

Meg Munn: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The Government have serious concerns over Equatorial Guinea's human rights record.
	We are aware of recent reports that express concern over the situation in Equatorial Guinea as regards individuals' right to a fair trial and the country's observation of human rights. Such reports include the Amnesty International Report 2007 and the report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, available at:
	http://thereport.amnesty.org/document/15
	http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/E3F5F640A5C8217FC125731A002D604D?opendocument
	While such reporting indicates that conditions in Black Beach prison are improving, following the introduction of a new block in 2005, the overall situation remains of concern.

Iraq: Asylum

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Iraqi locally-employed staff were granted asylum in 2007; and how many he expects to be granted asylum in 2008.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 February 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The information on how many Iraqi locally employed staff were granted asylum in 2007 is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	It would not possible to speculate how many Iraqi locally engaged staff may be granted asylum in 2008 as every asylum application is considered on its individual merits in accordance with the criteria defined in the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees.

Kosovo

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in  (a) Spain,  (b) Cyprus,  (c) Greece,  (d) Romania,  (e) Bulgaria and  (f) Slovakia on the declaration of independence of Kosovo.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Kosovo's declaration of independence with his colleagues from EU countries, including from Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia at the 18 February General Affairs and External Relations Council.
	The Council unanimously agreed conclusions setting out a clear EU response to developments in Kosovo. The EU has agreed a range of political and practical assistance to Kosovo (deploying a police and rule of law mission and special representative; assisting with economic and political development). The conclusions noted that member states could decide on their relations with Kosovo in accordance with national practice.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on Kosovo on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 20-22WS.

Simon Mann

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 180W, on Simon Mann, what the reasons are for his view that the  (a) threat and  (b) use of sanctions against Equatorial Guinea would be incompatible with securing the welfare of Simon Mann.

Meg Munn: holding answer 22 February 2008
	As stated in my written answer to the hon. Member on 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 180W, the Government's main concern is for Mr. Mann's immediate welfare.
	Our objective in dealing with the Equatorial Guinean authorities is to maintain open lines of communication, with a view to regular access to Simon Mann and ensuring that he is treated in line with international standards.
	We do not believe that sanctions would be conducive to facilitating dialogue with the Equatorial Guinean government.

Simon Mann

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Equatorial Guinea declining to accept the legitimacy of any trial of Simon Mann by that government following his abduction to that country from Zimbabwe.

Meg Munn: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The issue of the legality of Mr. Mann's removal from Zimbabwe and its implications for any subsequent trial are a matter for Mr. Mann's legal representatives to take forward in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.
	We have expressed our concern to the Zimbabwean authorities following Mr. Mann's transfer to Equatorial Guinea.
	The Equatorial Guinean authorities have assured us that Mr. Mann will receive a fair trial, in accordance with international law, and that he will be free to appoint a lawyer.
	We will make representations to the Equatorial Guinea authorities if Mr. Mann's trial does not follow internationally recognised standards for a fair trial.

Timor Leste: Politics and Government

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the political and security situation in East Timor; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We were extremely concerned to learn of the attacks on President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Gusmao on 11 February and hope that Dr. Ramos-Horta makes a speedy recovery. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office official visited Dili last week and met with a variety of key interlocutors. He assessed the security situation to be calm, although outbreaks of violence could happen without warning.
	There can be no justification for these attacks. We hope that law enforcement authorities will be able to bring those responsible for the outrage to justice and that stability will be maintained in East Timor. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has written to Prime Minister Gusmao, condemning the attacks.
	We fully support the vital work of the UN Mission to East Timor and the International Stabilisation Force in their efforts to help bring about peace and stability.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Libyan counterpart on Libya's intentions in chairing the preparatory committee for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this with his Libyan counterpart. UK officials in Geneva are engaged in talks with other delegations on the preparatory process.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has made to put anti-semitism on the main agenda of the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Jim Murphy: The Government believe that it is vital to avoid a repeat of the disgraceful anti-Semitism that occurred at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism.
	We want the Durban Review Conference to assess how states have implemented the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme for Action. The agenda for the Conference is not yet clear. The UK was among a small number of countries that worked hard to ensure that the issue of anti-Semitism was included in the 2001 Declaration and Programme for Action. We will seek to ensure that anti-Semitism receives due attention at the Durban Review Conference.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Ministerial involvement is planned in the preparatory committee for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Jim Murphy: The United Kingdom will be represented at the preparatory committee for the Durban Review Conference by our Mission to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva. There are no plans for Ministers to attend.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Canadian government on its decision not to attend the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Jim Murphy: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been in discussions with their Canadian counterparts on the Durban Review Conference. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this with the Canadian Government.

UN World Conference Against Racism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with European Union Ministers on the preparations for the 2009 UN World Conference Against Racism.

Jim Murphy: The Durban Review Conference has not yet been discussed at the level of European Union Foreign Ministers. It has, however, been a regular item on the agenda of meetings at official level.

Vietnam: Religious Freedom

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Government of Vietnam on the treatment of the Underground Church in that country.

Meg Munn: Together with our EU partners, we regularly discuss human rights issues, including religious freedom, with the Vietnamese authorities. The biannual EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue is the main forum for raising our concerns. Our ambassador in Hanoi attended the last dialogue, which was held in Hanoi on 19 December 2007. We also discuss the issues with the Government of Vietnam, both bilaterally and with our EU counterparts.
	We are aware of reports of the continued harassment of some religious groups in some areas. We have urged the Vietnamese authorities to increase awareness and capacity among local authorities, to guarantee the right of all religious groups to practise their faith freely in the community through full implementation of the appropriate legislation, and to adhere to their international human rights obligations. Regulations, in force since 2004, establish criteria for the recognition of hitherto non-sanctioned religious groups.
	I raised our concerns on human rights with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister at the Association of South East Asian Nations summit in Singapore on 23 November 2007 and with the Deputy Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 29 November 2007. Additionally, I raised the issue with the Vietnamese ambassador on 9 October 2007.

Vietnam: Religious Freedom

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Government of Vietnam on the imprisonment of church leaders in that country.

Meg Munn: We are concerned at the arrests and sentencing of a number of human rights defenders, including some campaigning for increased religious freedoms, in Vietnam and have made numerous representations to the Vietnamese authorities on the plight of these individuals.
	We co-operate closely with our EU partners in Hanoi on human rights issues, including on the question of religious freedoms. The biannual EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, which was established in 2003, is the main forum for raising our concerns. Our ambassador in Hanoi attended the most recent dialogue, which took place on 19 December 2007 in Hanoi.
	I raised our concerns on human rights with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister at the Association of South East Asian Nations summit in Singapore on 23 November 2007 and with the Deputy Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 29 November 2007. Additionally, I raised the issue with the Vietnamese ambassador on 9 October 2007.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Correspondence

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were employed in his Department's ministerial correspondence unit in each of the last five years; and how much it cost to run the unit, including utilities and other expenses, in each year.

Shaun Woodward: Although the Northern Ireland Office does not have a dedicated ministerial correspondence unit, there are staff within the Belfast and London private offices that act as correspondence clerks as part of their duties.
	The measurement of the costs relating to the time spent completing correspondence duties could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Stationery

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on stationery in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows the amount the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and non-departmental public bodies, has spent on stationery in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Stationery costs (£) 
			 2002-03 315,435 
			 2003-04 299,858 
			 2004-05 297,183 
			 2005-06 320,590 
			 2006-07 314,784

Departmental Temporary Employment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Shaun Woodward: The average hourly rate paid to employment agencies for agency staff used by the Department is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Historical Enquiries Team

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases the Historical Enquiries Team are investigating; and how many staff there are currently associated with the team.

Paul Goggins: The Historical Enquiries Team is to examine all deaths attributed to "The Troubles" from January 1969 to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998; this equates to 3,268 deaths which occurred in 2,516 incidents (an incident is described as a case). To date 1,039 cases have been allocated to the HET business process.
	HET currently have a total of 175 staff.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the senior civil service in his Department have received an honour.

Shaun Woodward: Four members of staff in the Northern Ireland Office have received an honour.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by senior Civil Service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: The total claimed in reimbursable expenses by senior civil servants in DFID in the last 12 months was £111,005.
	This figure relates to claims made directly through our UK systems. It is not possible to include reimbursable costs claimed through our local accounting sections overseas without incurring disproportionate cost.
	All reimbursable expenses are made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries have been visited by officials from his Department in each year for which information is available.

Shahid Malik: A list of countries visited, for years which information is readily available, has been placed in the Library of the House. The data reflect all overseas visits for UK-based officials. It is not possible to provide information on visits carried out by staff based overseas other than visits back to the UK, without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour.

Gillian Merron: Of the 96 senior civil servants currently employed by the Department for International Development, four have received an honours award.

Overseas Aid

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the compatibility of programmes funded by the European Commission on the Millennium Development Goals with  (a) the Global Business Plan on MDGs 4 and 5 and  (b) the International Health Partnership.

Gareth Thomas: Both the Global Business Plan on MDGs 4 and 5 and the International Health Partnership aim to deliver more effective aid in support of national health plans and priorities. The European Commission is a signatory to the IHP and the UK continues to work closely with the Commission in ensuring the aid it provides is consistent with these principles. The EC does not have specific MDG 'programmes'. Our main interest with regard to their support for the MDGs is at the country level.
	In 2007, the EC published the majority of its country strategy papers for the period to 2013. Many of these were completed before donors agreed the GBP and the IHP. DFID considered these CSPs against a range of criteria, including their adherence to the legal and policy base and alignment with the priorities of the partner country as set out in their national plans—this is in line with the principles of the IHP. Our assessment is that those which have so far been presented have generally met these criteria.

Senegal: Mauritania

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK plans to contribute to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' appeal for funds to help repatriate black Mauritanians who have been in exile in Senegal.

Gillian Merron: There are no plans to contribute to the appeal.

SCOTLAND

Children: Poverty

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Third Report of the Scottish Affairs Committee Session 2007-08, on Child Poverty in Scotland, (HC 277); what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Report; and what steps his Department plans to take to implement recommendations set out in the Report.

David Cairns: The Government are considering the recommendations contained within the Committee's report on Child Poverty in Scotland, and will respond in full in due course.
	Ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions are aware of the report, and my officials are in regular contact with counterparts in DWP who are contributing to the content of the Government response.
	We will work with other Government Departments to implement any necessary actions identified in our response.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on  (a) alcohol and  (b) entertaining in the last 12 months.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1363W. The Scotland Office maintains records for expenditure on hospitality in each financial year but does not distinguish that part spent on alcohol.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on translation services by his Department in (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) in 2007-08 to date.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not separately record any costs associated with translations.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what documents his Department translates for people in the UK who do not speak English.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not offer translation services to the public.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many members of the senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour.

David Cairns: No member of the senior civil service at the Scotland Office has received an honour.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Departmental Accountancy

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission  (a) conducted or  (b) commissioned work into incomes and expenditures of below-threshold accounting units for the accounts for 2003.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it wrote in 2004 to all registered party accounting units to inquire as to whether their total income or gross expenditure was greater than £25,000 for the 2003 financial year; and to ask those whose income or expenditure was under this threshold to confirm this in writing. The purpose of the exercise was to confirm which accounting units should be submitting accounts to the Commission and which should not. No further work was carried out.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Taunton of 25 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2277W, on departmental visits abroad, what the purpose of each foreign visit was, other than those listed as election or referendum observation.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the purpose of the visits in question was as follows:
	
		
			   Countries visited  Reason 
			 2001 Australia Study visit to the Australian Electoral Commission 
			  Canada Elections Canada (Annual Conference) 
			  Croatia Association of Central and Eastern European Electoral Administrators (Annual Conference) 
			  New Zealand Study visit to the Electoral Enrolment Centre, Chief Electoral Office, and Electoral Commission 
			  Republic of Ireland Study visit on Referendum planning and working practices 
			  Spain Preparatory meeting for the Conference on European Electoral Management Bodies 
			  Sweden International IDEA Conference 
			
			 2002 Mauritius Commonwealth Secretariat seminar on voter registration 
			  Poland OSCE/ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 
			  Republic of Ireland Study visit on Referendums 
			  Russia Association of Central and Eastern European Electoral Administrators (Annual Conference) 
			  Spain Conference on European Electoral Management Bodies 
			  Sweden International IDEA Workshop: Toward the Development of Standards of Law and Practice to Promote Electoral Access for Citizens with Disabilities 
			
			 2003 Australia Work placement: Department of Local Government and Regional Development, Western Australia 
			  Belgium European Parliament: Disability Intergroup Meeting 
			  Canada Conference on the State Funding of Political Parties 
			  Germany Study visit on voting Age 
			  India International IDEA Election Management Bodies conference 
			  Mexico Second Conference of the global electoral organisations network 
			  Switzerland IFES/IDEA/IPU/Inclusion International Conference on electoral rights for people for disabilities 
			  USA Study visit on political party funding 
			
			 2004 Albania Study visit on voter turnout and first time voters 
			  Austria FCO-organised study visit on electoral standards and commitments 
			  Canada Study visit on political party funding 
			   Elections Canada Conference on monitoring the Iraqi elections 
			  Chile British Council Conference on election administration and political party funding 
			  Germany Study visit on political party funding 
			  Netherlands Study visit on political party funding 
			
			 2005 Austria OSCE/ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation meeting 
			  Canada Meeting with Elections Canada 
			  France Second European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies in Strasbourg (Venice Commission) 
			  Hungary ACCEEEO-organised meeting of EU election experts 
			  India Commonwealth Secretariat Conference of Chief Election Officers 
			  Mexico Federal Electoral Institute Seminar on the Media and Elections 
			  Poland OSCE/ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation meeting 
			  Russia OSCE/ODIHR expert meeting on election observation 
			  USA International Mission for Iraqi Elections meeting 
			   Study of US Govt bodies 
			   COGEL (Council on Govt, ethics and law) Conference 
			
			 2006 Canada IFES conference—Making Electoral Reform Real: Best Practices for managing an electoral system transition 
			  Latvia Association of Central and Eastern European Electoral Administrators (Annual Conference) 
			  Poland ODIHR Roundtable on election issues 
			
			 2007 Canada Study visit to Elections Canada 
			   COGEL Conference 
			  Poland OSCE/ODIHR conference on e-voting 
			  Republic of Ireland Meeting with the Department for Foreign Affairs 
			   Meeting with the Standards in Public Office 
			  Russia Study visit to the Independent Electoral Commission 
			  South Africa Conference hosted by The Electoral Commission of South Africa on Democratic Momentum 
			  Sweden International IDEA Working Group 
			  USA Global Electoral Organization (GEO) Conference

Efficiency Savings

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what efficiency savings the Electoral Commission plans to make over the next three years.

Peter Viggers: The resource budget agreed by the Speaker's Committee for the Commission covering the four years 2007-08 to 20010-11 is a 'cash flat' amount of £23,995,000 (including the £2 million annual Policy Development Grant budget) in each of the four years. The Commission is required to absorb all pay and non-pay inflation over this period and to do so it will have to deliver efficiency savings of on average at least 2 per cent. or £480,000 in each year.
	The Electoral Commission informs me that it has already secured recurrent savings of £625,000 in 2007-08 and as the first stage of its efficiency plan for 2008-09 has identified specific savings of £250,000.

Gershon Review

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the effect of the Gershon review on its activities.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it takes into account the Gershon principles and findings when reviewing its expenditure and efficiency plans, which are discussed with the Speaker's Committee.

Labour Party: Elections

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance that was sent by the Electoral Commission to participants in the Labour Party deputy leadership campaign in relation to reporting donations given towards their campaign.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that its guidance to participants in the Labour party deputy leadership campaign was contained in the letters sent to candidates on 18 May 2007, copies of which are already in the Library.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1084W, on political parties: finance, whether the Electoral Commission plans to commission consultants to assist it in its research on the operation of the political levy and political funds.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has no plans to commission consultants to assist this research, which is limited to considering the existing legislative framework and background information on how the political levy and political funds currently operate.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 181-2W, on political parties: finance, if he will place in the Library copies of the letters sent by the Electoral Commission to the  (a) Labour leadership and deputy leadership candidates in May 2007 and  (b) Liberal Democrat leadership candidates in October 2007.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has done so.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much expenditure the Electoral Commission incurred in severance and redundancy pay in each year since the Commission was established.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the cost of severance and redundancy pay incurred in each calendar year since its establishment was as follows:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£)  Number of individuals 
			 2001 0 0 
			 2002 68,524 1 
			 2003 0 0 
			 2004 0 0 
			 2005 61,642 2 
			 2006 59,826 1 
			 2007 203,905 11 
			 2008 19,065 1

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1085W, on political parties: finance, what the timetable is for the Electoral Commission's planned research into the political levy and political funds.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the research into trade union funding is limited to considering the existing legislative framework and background information on how the political levy and political funds currently operate.
	The research will be completed following a meeting between Commission staff and the Certification Officer, expected to take place next month.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1085W, on political parties: finance, if the Electoral Commission will request Sir Hayden Phillips to submit his background work into trade union funds and political funds to assist the Commission's research into trade union political funds and political levies.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has made arrangements to meet officials who performed research on trade unions for the review of party funding recently completed by Sir Hayden Philips.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1085W, on political parties: finance, if the Electoral Commission will seek to obtain copies of constituency development plans made between the Labour Party and trades unions to assist its research into trade union political funds and the political levy.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not plan to obtain copies of constituency development plans made between the Labour party and trade unions as this is beyond the scope of the research.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Horsham of 25 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2280W, on political parties: finance, if he will name the accounting units of the Labour Party which had accounting units below £25,000 in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2007.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that 578 out of 690 accounting units of the Labour Party responded in 2004 to confirm that their total income and gross expenditure for the 2003 financial year were below the reporting threshold of £25,000. A full list of those who responded has been placed in the library.
	The Commission has reviewed the canvass of registered accounting units performed in 2007. The results of the canvass are incomplete and the Commission intends to update its records by working with the parties and undertaking a new canvass of accounting units in 2008.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Horsham of 25 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2280W, on political parties: finance, if he will place in the Library copies of the accounts provided to the Commission by associations under the threshold.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that these documents are held in paper form and copies can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the accounts are available for inspection in the Electoral Commission's London office on request.

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1084W, on political parties: finance, if the Electoral Commission will be inviting evidence from interested parties to assist the research into trade unions political funds and the political levy.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has no plans to invite contributions from interested external parties.

Trade Unions: Constituencies

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission holds copies of Labour party trade union constituency development plans.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold copies of Labour party trade union constituency development plans.

Trade Unions: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if the Electoral Commission will undertake research into funding of trades unions through  (a) the Trade Union Modernisation Fund and  (b) other public funding.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has no plans to undertake such research.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have received written warnings for breaching standards of behaviour or attendance in each month in the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The Department introduced a new personnel computer system incrementally from November 2006, being fully implemented by April 2007. The following information reflects the number of staff with a written warning for  (a) breaching standards of behaviour; or  (b) unsatisfactory attendance recorded on that system from April 2007 in each month to December 2007.
	Information prior to April 2007 is held on a number of legacy systems. The cost of extracting this information in the format requested from these, and clerical records, for the period prior to April 2007 would be at a disproportionate cost.
	The percentage of DWP staff receiving written warnings is calculated on the total number of staff employed by DWP in each month.
	
		
			  As at 2007:  Unsatisfactory attendance written warning issued  Number of written warnings for unsatisfactory attendance as a  percentage  of all DWP staff  Standards of behaviour written warning issued  Number of written warnings for standards of behaviour as a  percentage  of all DWP staff 
			 April 137 0.11 46 0.04 
			 May 165 0.13 34 0.03 
			 June 167 0.14 41 0.03 
			 July 175 0.14 47 0.04 
			 August 172 0.14 29 0.02 
			 September 165 0.14 32 0.03 
			 October 167 0.14 41 0.03 
			 November 185 0.16 42 0.04 
			 December 114 0.10 33 0.03 
			 Total 1,447  345

Pension Education Fund

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department plans to measure the performance and efficacy of the pension education fund.

Mike O'Brien: DWP has commissioned an independent case study evaluation to:
	Explore the impact of the fund initiatives on individuals' knowledge and attitudes towards planning for retirement and on savings behaviour;
	Provide evidence to help assess the potential role that a trusted third party can play in delivering pensions information; and
	Explore providers' experiences of setting up and running the initiatives.
	Research has been conducted with 14 Pension Education Fund schemes selected to ensure coverage of a range of different types of initiatives. In-depth interviews were the main research tool in this study, through which the research organisation have collected detailed information on providers' experiences of setting up and running particular initiatives, on employers' experience of participating, and on the influence that funded activities have had on individuals' attitudes to retirement planning and saving for retirement.
	In addition, all 26 schemes are being monitored through contract management processes and PEF funded organisations are conducting their own evaluations to understand their perspectives on delivery.
	A DWP research report on the evaluation will be published in spring 2008.
	 Notes:
	1. The PEF offered funding to local and national not-for-profit organisations (such as trade unions, charities, trade associations and the voluntary sector) to use innovative ways to increase financial awareness and encourage working people to provide for their retirement, especially among those that might be at more risk of undersaving.
	2. The principle is to provide impartial and accurate information on pensions and retirement planning via trusted third parties to individuals (employees and self-employed people) in the workplace, where practicable.
	3. The projects are running between January 2006 and March 2008.
	4. Closing date for applications was 2 September 2005.
	5. 55 applications were received and examined against financial and quality criteria and the process overseen by an Independent Decision Panel.
	6. 26 were accepted, covering all Government Office regions and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a range of organisational types including charities, trade unions, employer groups and the voluntary sector.
	7. Information is being delivered by the projects using a variety of methods including group events, one to ones, websites, CDs, information booklets/packs and by training intermediaries and union members who return to the workplace and cascade information.

Social Security Benefits: Offenders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what state benefits offenders in England and Wales are eligible for while serving  (a) community service sentences and  (b) custodial sentences.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 29 January 2008
	 Convicted offenders serving community service sentences are entitled to any benefits for which they qualify, in the same way as any other person.
	In general, DWP benefits are not payable to convicted prisoners in custody. However, since 1995 and subject to certain qualifying conditions, those serving short sentences of 13 weeks or less may continue to receive housing benefit and council tax benefit. This ensures that people with very short sentences do not become homeless upon release.

Tax Allowances: Pensioners

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on administering the 25 pence old age allowance in each year since its introduction; and how many people over 80 received the allowance in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The age addition is an automatic payment made to eligible pensioners. The cost of administering the age addition is a relatively small element of the administration costs of The Pension Service and is not separately available.
	The latest available information as at March 2007 is that there are around 2,693,300 pensioners in receipt of the 25p age addition.
	 Notes:
	1. Data is taken from a 5 per cent. extract of the Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. This figure includes everyone who is eligible to receive the age addition in GB and overseas, not everyone who is aged 80 or over.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate

Tax Allowances: Pensioners

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost of paying the over 80s age-related allowance is expected to be in 2007-08;
	(2)  how many people receive the over 80s age allowance.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 25 January 2008
	 The age addition is an automatic payment made to eligible pensioners. The cost of administering the age addition is a relatively small element of the administration costs of the Pension Service and is not separately available.
	The latest available information as at March 2007 shows that there are around 2,693,300 pensioners in receipt of the 25p age addition. The estimate of the 2007-08 expenditure is £33 million.
	 Notes:
	1. Data relating to the number of pensioners are taken from a 5 per cent. extract of the Pension Service Computer System, therefore the figure is subject to a degree of sampling variation. It is also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	2. The figure relating to the number of pensioners is rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. The figure relating to the number of pensioners includes everyone who is eligible to receive the age addition in GB and overseas, not everyone who is aged 80 or over.
	4. The figure relating to the value of age addition payments covers payments made to those in Great Britain and overseas.
	5. The figure relating to the value of age addition payments has been rounded to the nearest million.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate; Comprehensive Spending Review 2007

Vocational Guidance: Carers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that  (a) effective advice and support is available to those who wish to return to work after undertaking caring responsibilities and  (b) that his Department's staff are trained to provide that advice and support.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie ,  dated 25 February 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what advice and support is available to those who wish to return to work after undertaking caring responsibilities and also that Department for Work and Pensions staff are trained to provide that advice and support. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as chief executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Everyone returning to work, and who is claiming jobseeker's allowance, will discuss and agree the steps that will offer the best chance of finding work. This information is recorded in the jobseeker's agreement, which is reviewed at regular intervals. Customers are given information and advice about the range of Jobcentre Plus services, including our telephony based job-matching service (Jobseeker Direct) and our internet job bank, and how to make best use of these and other vacancy sources.
	People are usually required to attend their nearest Jobcentre Plus office on a fortnightly basis to discuss what they have been doing to find work and to see what further support, if required, can be offered in terms of jobsearch or training/re-training.
	To continue to receive jobseeker's allowance, people must usually be available for work for a minimum of 40 hours per week. However, restrictions on hours/days are allowed for customers who have caring responsibilities, which can be restricted to a minimum of 16 hours a week.
	People who are particularly disadvantaged in the labour market can access additional help through early entry to the new deal, providing more intensive help through the support of a personal adviser and a range of opportunities to help overcome more significant barriers to employment. Similarly, early access is available to Programme Centre provision, which can provide additional help for those people who need to improve motivation and confidence, and their basic jobsearch skills.
	With regard to staff training, Jobcentre Plus has a diverse customer base and a comprehensive programme of learning designed to equip advisers with the full range of knowledge and skills required to support all our customers. A new Adviser Skills Learning Routeway was introduced in September 2005, which is supported by an efficient learning routeway providing advisers with key knowledge and skills.
	We work closely with external partners in the development of learning products and in the up-skilling of our advisers, ensuring that additional modules are designed and delivered when required to deal with specific customer needs. These partners are professionals and are recognised as experts in their field and are able to provide the specialised knowledge and understanding of specific customer groups.
	I hope this information is helpful and assures you of our intent to provide people with the best possible service, aimed at helping them into work as soon as possible.

DEFENCE

Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 963-64W, on advertising, what his Department's marketing costs were in each year for which figures are available; and what percentage of his Department's overall expenditure those figures constituted.

Derek Twigg: While marketing activity occurs across the Department this is not as a discrete function, but rather as an integrated element of strategic communications, press, PR, internal communications or e-media.
	As a result, information on departmental expenditure on marketing alone is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: World War II

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the compensation scheme for former civilian internees of the Japanese in the Second World War, on what date the qualification requirement that recruitment of applications had to have taken place in the UK was introduced in relation to service abroad with the Government counting towards the 20- year residency qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The then Under-Secretary of State announced on 26 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 9-10, that the detailed rules of the Far Eastern Prisoners of War Scheme 20-year residence criterion, which allow applicants to demonstrate the required close link to the UK on the basis of post-January 1945 residence in the UK, were being published and implemented that day. The rules, which were the subject of consultation with the Association of British Civilian Internees—Far East Region, allow periods employed outside the UK—whether with the British Government or otherwise—to count towards the 20 years providing there is reasonable evidence of an intention to return to this country; this will most likely be the case with postings from the UK. There is, however, no requirement that the individual should have been in the UK when recruited; if a person's employment was contracted on the basis that they would otherwise have been resident in the UK and that they would travel to the UK at its termination, that would qualify.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the new facilities of  (a) a swimming pool and  (b) a gymnasium at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court will be funded.

Derek Twigg: There are currently a hydrotherapy pool and five separate gyms (four in current use) at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court. One of the gyms needs to be refurbished. The unit also makes regular use of a local authority swimming pool at Leatherhead. These facilities are publicly funded.
	A new charity, Help for Heroes, has offered to raise funds to build a swimming pool and gym, as part of a new rehabilitation complex at Headley Court. We warmly welcome this generous offer to enhance the unit's existing facilities. The rehabilitation of military patients on the site, which is itself owned by a charitable trust, has for many years benefited from charitable donations and it is entirely appropriate that such funding should be blended with public funding in this way. We shall work closely with the charity as its proposals are developed.
	We would expect Headley Court to take charge of the management of the new rehabilitation complex, including the provision of military or civilian staff to man it.
	We are also continuing to invest significantly from public funds in new buildings. We opened a new 30-bed ward annex last year (costing £1.7 million). Work is now starting on a 58-bed accommodation block for patients and staff (costing about £4 million). We are also considering a longer term development plan to improve accommodation and clinical facilities across the site, and thus maintain the first-class capability that Headley Court currently offers.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of each of his Department's  (a) trained officer target structures,  (b) trained soldier target structures and  (c) Army Output Map produced since 2005-06.

Bob Ainsworth: Targets for trained officers and soldiers, by capbadge, are given in the Army Monthly Manning Report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Two Army Output Maps have been produced since 2005-06. I will place copies in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Military Decorations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will institute the practice of wearing a wound stripe or other honour award for soldiers wounded in action.

Derek Twigg: We currently have no plans to introduce the practice of wearing a wound stripe or other honour for soldiers wounded in action.
	Today all servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan receive a medal once they have met the qualifying criteria, which reflects the risk to life and limb of the servicemen and women and the rigour of the operations upon which they are deployed. The medals are issued automatically in the event of death or injury that leads to evacuation from theatre, regardless of how long individuals have served on the operation.
	In addition, a number of those wounded on operations have also received gallantry awards.
	Our primary aim must be to provide the injured with the medical care that they require and to support them where appropriate via the War Pensions Scheme and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
	This is a complex issue which is kept under constant review by the Military Chiefs of Staff and they are the best placed to make the appropriate recommendations.

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials have held with (i) directors and (ii) senior executives of (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2001; what the (1) location and (2) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the usual practice of Government to disclose details of such meetings.

Departmental Contracts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) objective and  (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by his Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Derek Twigg: The information available from centrally held records is shown in the following table. Some information could be held under other names or outside central records. In addition, the information on objectives missing for a few of the older contracts quoted has been archived and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Contractor name  Objective  Maximum current contract value (£ 000 ) 
			  Financial year 2004-05   
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP  130 
			 KPMG LLP  40 
			 KPMG LLP  40 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  1,500 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  125 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Provision of consultancy support to a restructuring project 3,900 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  49 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  11 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  2,000 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  194 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  123 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  67 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  94 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP  37 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP  123 
			
			  Financial year 2005-06   
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP Provision of secretariat support to reviews of non-competitive government contracts 830 
			 Ernst and Young LLP Independent project assurance 145 
			 KPMG LLP  43 
			 KPMG LLP  5 
			 KPMG LLP  3 
			 KPMG LLP  70 
			 KPMG LLP  42 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  153 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Consultancy support to an acquisition programme 280 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Provision of training modules Enabling Arrangement 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. The provision of consultancy support for catering, retail and leisure guide 74 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  250 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd.  150 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Use of a framework agreement by the MOD 2,000 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP External Assistance for independent financial advice 100 
			
			  Financial year2006-07   
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP. Provision of financial advice and related services to the MOD and its Agencies in support of PFI and Partnering Projects 6,900 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP Review of structural options for an MOD Trading Fund 42 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP External Assistance for the Maritime Industrial Strategy 2,100 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP Provision of financial advice in support of a commercially owned military registered company 2,000 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP External assistance to the Maritime Industrial Strategy Team 60 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP External assistance to the Project Rehabilitation Unit 13 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP Consultancy Support for the UK White Fleet 100 
			 Ernst and Young LLP Provision of financial advice and related services to the MOD and its Agencies in support of PFI and Partnering Projects 6,900 
			 KPMG LLP Provision of financial advice and related services to the MOD and its Agencies in support of PFI and partnering projects 6,900 
			 KPMG LLP External Assistance for a Lines of Development Review 966 
			 KPMG LLP External Assistance to the Maritime Industrial Strategy 654 
			 KPMG LLP Pilot agreement: use of a framework agreement by the MOD 950 
			 KPMG LLP Provision of Support for the Maritime Industrial Strategy 210 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Consultancy support to HQ army recruiting group 77 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Consultancy support to a programme management office 176 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. External Assistance support for the development of the commodities cluster framework strategy and future business model 92 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. External Assistance to submarine support 205 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Provision of financial advice and related services to the MOD and its Agencies in support of PFI and partnering projects 6,900 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Feasibility Review for an MOD Trading Fund 48 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Subscription for access to and use of a global best practices system 32 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Provision of advice and consultancy support on the potential sale of part of an MOD Trading Fund 921 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Specialist Negotiation Advice 78 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Use of a framework agreement by the MOD 950 
			
			  Financial year 2007-08   
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP Employment of consultant to assist a PFI Project 75 
			 Deloitte and Touche LLP External assistance to the Project Rehabilitation Unit 51 
			 Ernst and Young United Kingdom Military Flying Training System Change Management Programme Scoping Study 157 
			 KPMG LLP External Assistance for streamlining 4,000 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Provision of catering, retail and leisure training and coaching 143 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. External Assistance to support Naval lean transformation 699 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. External Assistance to support the financial workstream for a future logistics project 34 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. External Assistance for breakthrough and personal coaching 45 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Programme Management Delivery Improvement and Programme Assurance Management 48 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Programme Assurance and Technical Support to Defence Information Infrastructure implementation 232 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Programme Assurance and Technical Support to Defence Information Infrastructure implementation 252 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Support to embed Project Management Controls 127 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Support on support contracts 97 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Support on support contracts 100 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Inter-Modal Transportation Technology Demonstrator Programme 2,500 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Project Assurance 94 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Services to support the Defence Information Infrastructure 106 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Support for support contracts 288 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. Technical Support for the Defence Information Infrastructure 248 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. External Assistance to the Defence Information Infrastructure 162 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP External Consultancy Assistance for a review of MOD Employers Pension Contributions Payments 17 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP External Assistance for blueprint consultancy 550 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Modular Open Systems Architecture enterprise model study 420 
			  Note:  Excluded are contracts placed on behalf of Other Government Departments, joint venture/alliance contracts, contracts placed through collaborative projects such as the Typhoon/Euro fighter and those awarded by the Ministry of Defence's Trading Funds.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether personal data for which his Department is responsible is  (a) stored and  (b) processed overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Personal data, mainly on MOD employees and their dependents, for which the Department is responsible are stored and processed in permanent and deployed units overseas, but within UK jurisdiction. Similar data are also held on overseas based and locally employed staff by Defence Attachés in British embassies. The volume of personal data held outside the Defence overseas footprint is not currently held centrally. As part of the departmental response to the Cabinet Office-led Review into data handling procedures in Government, an internal review is currently establishing a more comprehensive assessment of personal data held and accessed overseas.

Departmental Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on  (a) alcohol and  (b) entertaining in the last 12-month period for which information is available.

Derek Twigg: Information on alcohol expenditure is not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1014W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson).
	As regards expenditure on hospitality and entertainment, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 11W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson).
	Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to departmental regulation and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in Managing Public Money and in the Treasury's handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.

Departmental Manpower

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of his Department's Main Building staff were uniformed staff in each of the last 10 years.

Derek Twigg: Individual defence installations do not routinely publish personnel data, as different organisations and agencies are responsible for the same location or site. Figures for the stationed location of UK Regular Forces and civilian staff are only available at local authority level using centrally held data.
	The number and percentage of military personnel stationed in MOD Main Building prior to 1 April 2007 are not centrally held and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1462W, to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper).

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 368W, on departmental official hospitality, if he will arrange for copies of the Hospitality Books kept by Ministers, members of the senior civil service and commanding officers to be placed  (a) in the Library and  (b) on a publicly accessible page on his Department's website.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 February 2008
	 The Government are committed to publishing an annual list of hospitality received by departmental board members. Information for 2007 will be published in due course. Hospitality received by Ministers over the registrable limits are declared as appropriate in the Registers of Members' or Peers' Interests. All Hospitality Books are subject to external compliance testing by the National Audit Office.

Departmental Official Residences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministerial residences were available to his Department's Ministers in each of the last 10 years.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 688W.

Departmental Property

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's properties in Scotland have been declared unfit for habitation.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and it will take time to determine what information could be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	I will write to my hon. Friend at the earliest opportunity.
	 Substantive answer from Derek Twigg to Jim Devine:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 30 January 2008, (Official Report, column 368W), about the number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) properties in Scotland that have been declared unfit for habitation.
	I should explain that properties can be uninhabited for various reasons, such as they are awaiting demolition or undergoing major repair, modernisation or upgrade work. All occupied properties are regarded as being of a habitable standard. A record of all MOD property in Scotland that is uninhabitable is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what property has been lost or stolen from his Department since 1997; and what the cost of replacement was.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. A summary of Losses and Special Payments has been published in the Notes to the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts since 2001-02 and, before then, in the MOD's Appropriation Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Reports

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the most recent briefing team reports from  (a) the Chief of the General Staff,  (b) the Chief of the Air Staff and  (c) the First Sea Lord.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army is the only one of the three services that currently operates a briefing team—the Chief of the General Staff's Briefing Team—and a copy of its most recent report, that for spring 2007, is available in the Library of the House. I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave on 27 November 2007,  Official Report, column 308W, to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry).

Departmental Road Traffic Offences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of parking tickets paid by his Department and its agencies was in 2007.

Derek Twigg: Drivers are liable for payment of any fines while driving service vehicles and there is therefore normally no cost to the Department. There may, exceptionally, be cases when recovery of fines proved to be impossible, but these records are not held centrally.

Departmental Travel

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much and what percentage of his Department's expenditure was spent on officials' travel costs in each year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is conducted in accordance with the guidelines set out in the civil service management code.

Guided Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the United Kingdom has participated in the theatre missile defence system integration test bed tests at NATO's test facility near The Hague in 2008.

Des Browne: The UK participates in the integrated test bed programme through our interest in NATO's Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence programme. The UK Government has no direct military involvement in the ITB.

Gurkhas

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Royal Ghurkha Rifles  (a) applied for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom and  (b) left the Army in 2007.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 100W, to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray). Serving Ghurkhas can not apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
	During the period 1 April 2007 to 20 February 2008 a total of 18 officers and other ranks from the Royal Ghurkha Rifles left the Army.

Iraq: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are any plans to gift  (a) Mastiffs,  (b) Warriors,  (c) Scimitars,  (d) Boxers and  (e) other armoured vehicles to Iraqi forces.

Des Browne: We have no further plans for the gifting of armoured vehicles to the Iraqi Security Forces.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 January 2008,  Official Re port, columns 1601-603W, that refers to the 79 refurbished armoured Land Rovers which have already been gifted.

Iraq: Military Equipment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1602W, on military equipment: Iraq, where the Government sourced the 6,500 AK47 assault rifles; and how much was paid for them.

Des Browne: The assault rifles were purchased from a commercial contractor in Poland as part of the UK's efforts to prepare the Iraqi Security Forces to be self-sufficient in undertaking their own security. The total cost was €760,000.00.

Iraq: Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to track and monitor the final destination of gifted arms and equipment in Iraq.

Des Browne: It is not practicable for the UK to track and monitor each item of equipment once it has been gifted to the Iraqi Security Forces. This is rightly the responsibility of the Chain of Command of the Iraqi Security Forces. In our mentoring and training engagement with the Iraqis, we continue to advise on the development of appropriate accounting and auditing procedures.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what onshore wind farm applications his Department did not initially object to but later objected to in the last three years; and what the reasons were for doing so.

Derek Twigg: There are a number of reasons why a late objection may have to be made; these include new information being made available, a change in Ministry of Defence requirements, or an improved understanding of the effects of wind turbines.
	In many cases a wind farm proposal changes significantly between the pre-planning consultation sent to the MOD and the final planning application. It is essential, therefore, that we assess the development in its final state using all available evidence. In some cases it will mean raising an objection when earlier we hadn't; in others we may be able to lift an objection we had previously registered.
	Over the past three years the MOD did not initially object to onshore wind farm applications, but did so later in the following cases:
	
		
			  Site  n ame  Reason for MOD objection 
			 Wryde Croft Unacceptable implications for Air Traffic Control (ATC) radars at RAF Coningsby, RAF Cottesmore, RAF Cranwell, RAF Waddington and also with the Precision Approach Radar (PAR) at RAF Wittering. 
			 Wandylaw Unacceptable implications with Air Defence (AD) radar for the Remote Radar Head (RRH) Brizlee Wood in Northumberland. 
			 Green Rig Unacceptable interference with the ATC radars at RAF Spadeadam. 
			 French Farm As for Wryde Croft. 
			 Nutsgrove As for Wryde Croft. 
			 Routh Unacceptable interference on AD radar at RRH Staxton Wold in Yorkshire. 
			 Ray Unacceptable effect on the ATC radars at RAF Spadeadam. 
			 Fallago Rig Unacceptable effect on the AD radar at the RRH at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.

World War II: Medals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will issue a medal for those who served in Bomber Command during the Second World War.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 4 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 1041-42W.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Christmas

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department's agencies spent on  (a) Christmas cards and  (b) postage of Christmas cards in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The information requested is as follows:
	 UK Trade  and Investment
	 (a) The following has been spent on Christmas cards:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2005 18,303.00(1) 
			 2006 11,031.00(1) 
			 2007 9,112.50(2) 
			 (1) Paper card (2) e-card 
		
	
	Figures from 1997 to 2004 are not available.
	 (b) There is no separate record of postage costs for sending paper cards in 2005 or 2006.
	 Companies House
	 (a) The following has been spent on Christmas cards:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2002 602 
			 2003 618 
			 2004 880 
			 2005 590 
			 2006 580 
			 2007 494 
		
	
	Figures from 1997 to 2001 are not available.
	 (b) The amount spent on postage of Christmas cards is not kept as a separate record.
	The Insolvency Service has not sent any Christmas cards.

Departmental Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of his Department's expenditure was on advertising in each year since establishment.

Gareth Thomas: My Department's committed spending on campaign advertising in the current financial year, procured through the Central Office of Information, is £881,482.27, as at 8 February 2008.
	My Department's total spending on recruitment advertising, to date, since 1 April 2007, procured through the Central Office of Information is £9,681.53, as at 8 February 2008.
	Detail of other advertising expenditure is not held centrally. It is thus not possible to express this figure as a percentage of overall expenditure.

Departmental Assets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the book value of departmental assets sold was in each financial year since 1997-98; and what revenue was generated from each such sale.

Gareth Thomas: Details of fixed assets sold by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for the period 1997-98 to 2006-07 are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Book value of assets sold transferred (£)  Proceeds including transfers to  O GDs (£) 
			 1997-98 n/a n/a 
			 1998-99 n/a n/a 
			 1999-2000 n/a n/a 
			 2000-01 n/a n/a 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 n/a n/a 
			 2003-04 n/a n/a 
			 2004-05 9,474 (1)9,474 
			 2005-06 2,140,630 (1)2,140,630 
			 2006-07 10,192 (1)10,192 
			 Total 2,160,296 2,160,296 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Assets transferred to OGDs are transferred at net book value, with no loss to the transferor department and no gain to the transferee department.  Note: The information for financial years 1997-98 to 2003-04 is not readily available as it has been transferred to a historical archive system. To obtain the information would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what databases are  (a) owned and  (b) maintained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Gareth Thomas: The Department owns 165 databases as at 1 June 2007, of which 75 are maintained by departmental staff and 90 are maintained by external companies.
	DBERR agencies—Companies House and the Insolvency Service—have been asked to respond directly to the hon. Member.

Departmental Telephone Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what agencies under his Department's responsibilities use  (a) 0845 and  (b) 0870 telephone codes for customer inquiries; how many 0845 or 0870 telephone codes each agency uses; and how much revenue was generated by each of these codes for each agency in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Each agency for which the Department is responsible has been asked to provide separate written response to the hon. Member.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what average hourly rate his Department and its predecessors have paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Gareth Thomas: Departmental policy is that agency staff are engaged where it is not possible to source the skills for the task from within the Department but the expectation is that the appointment would be time-limited.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Heating: Sustainable Development

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations officials in his Department have made to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in advance of the forthcoming meeting of the Consulting Forum under the Eco-design of Energy-using Products Directive on requirements for boilers and water heaters.

Malcolm Wicks: Officials in my Department have been in close contact with their colleagues in DEFRA and are working together as proposals are developed by the European Commission, taking advice from industry and other stakeholders.
	DBERR and DEFRA ran a joint stakeholder workshop specifically on the proposed requirements for boilers and heaters on 4 February to help inform UK Government policy at the forthcoming Consultation Forum.

Intimidation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many cases of bullying have been reported in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: During the calendar year 2007, the latest period for which information is available, five formal grievances in which bullying was specifically alleged were raised within the Department.
	Information on agencies will be provided by separate letter from the relevant chief executives.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster of 30 August, 10 October, 26 November 2007 and 2 January 2008 on the concerns about Companies House and identity theft of his constituent Nigel Walmsley.

Gareth Thomas: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's letter. This was due to an administrative error. A response will be issued shortly.

Music: Health Hazards

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will bring forward proposals for a statutory maximum limitation on the permitted volume of personal MP3 players.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission has asked the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks for an opinion on the potential health risks of exposure to noise from personal music players and mobile phones which include a music playing function. The Committee has been asked to report back to the Commission by March 2008.
	We will consider whether there is any need for domestic measures following an analysis of the Scientific Committee's report and in the light of decisions taken by the Commission in respect of Community action.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the operating costs of  (a) the National Consumer Council,  (b) Energywatch,  (c) Postwatch and  (d) Consumer Direct were in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Operating costs 
			   £ million 
			  (a) National Consumer Council  
			 2005-06 3.9 
			 2006-07 3.5 
			   
			  (b)Energywatch  
			 2005-06 12.289 
			 2006-07 11.792 
			   
			  (c) Postwatch  
			 2005-06 10.228 
			 2006-07 8.893 
			   
			  (d) Consumer Direct  
			 2005-06 18.354 
			 2006-07 17.329

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the forecast outturn operating cost of  (a) the National Consumer Council,  (b) Energywatch,  (c) Postwatch and  (d) Consumer Direct is for 2007-08.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows:
	Forecast outturn operating costs for 2007-08 for:
	 (a) National Consumer Council:
	£3.5 million.
	 (b) Energywatch:
	The expected forecast for Energywatch's operational costs for 2007-08 is £10.783 million.
	 (c) Postwatch:
	£9 million.
	 (d) Consumer Direct:
	The OFT are in the process of reforecasting the outturn costs of Consumer Direct at the moment and they estimate the operational costs for 2007-08 will be £18.875 million.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budgeted operating cost is for  (a) the National Consumer Council and  (b) Consumer Direct in 2009-10.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows:
	 Budgeted operating cost:
	 (a) National Consumer Council in 2009-10
	The National Consumer Council (NCC) will cease to exist with effect from 30 September 2008, when a new consumer body (new NCC) will be established out of consolidating the existing NCC, Postwatch and energywatch. Work on establishing the new body is now underway, including work on compiling detailed indicative costs for 2009-10, which will be considered as part of the 2008 departmental business planning exercise.
	 (b) Consumer Direct in 2009-10
	The budget has not been set. The OFT works on a year by year basis and the figure will not be determined until the next financial year.

Nuclear Power

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of generating capacity was out of service in UK nuclear power stations in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: Planned or unplanned closures of this nature are commercial and/or technical decisions for the companies that own and operate the power stations to take in conjunction with the relevant health and safety authorities. My Department therefore does not keep records of the operating decisions of individual power stations.
	However, information on plant load factors is available. The load factor is actual generation for a given year taken as a percentage of theoretical maximum potential generation. It is impossible for any power station to generate at full capacity throughout the year. There will be periods when it will not generate owing to lack of demand, routine maintenance and unplanned repairs. The load factors for UK nuclear power stations for the most recent 10 years for which data are available are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 1997 79.1 
			 1998 80.1 
			 1999 77.5 
			 2000 70.5 
			 2001 76.1 
			 2002 75.1 
			 2003 77.8 
			 2004 71.8 
			 2005 72.4 
			 2006 69.3 
			  Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics, BERR

Personal Information

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which  (a) companies based in the United States and  (b) UK subsidiaries of US companies were contracted to his Department and its agencies to provide services involving the use, storage, processing and analysis of databases of personal information held by the Government on UK citizens in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: On  (a) my Department is not aware of any contracts held by it with companies based in the United States to provide services involving the use, storage, processing and analysis of databases of personal information held by the Government on UK citizens. On  (b) this information is not collected or held centrally by my Department.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November,  Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review. The review is now due to conclude in the spring.

Reconstruction: Iraq

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the value of contracts awarded to UK companies for reconstruction in Iraq since March 2003.

Gareth Thomas: British companies are not obliged to give Her Majesty's Government any details of contracts won and there is no central organisation that publishes such information. A number of British companies have been awarded either contracts or subcontracts for the reconstruction process, but for confidentiality reasons we do not release their details.

Recruitment Agencies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies in relation to departmental appointments in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, can only provide spend on recruitment agencies from the financial year 2004-05. This information, which relates only to the former Department of Trade and Industry, has been extracted from the Department's finance system. Information for other years requested is not readily available on a consistent basis and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The figures shown in the following table show the total amount paid to recruitment agencies, which includes both the costs for appointing staff to the Department and the salaries paid to these temporary staff members.
	
		
			  Financial year  Recruitment agencies costs  (£000) 
			 2004-05 2,090 
			 2005-06 3,004 
			 2006-07 1,851 
		
	
	Recruitment agency staff are only employed when appropriately skilled permanent staff are not available to fill posts. Such appointments are closely monitored with regard to the continuing need.

Tribunals: Discrimination

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many claims regarding discrimination on the grounds of  (a) disability,  (b) gender reassignment,  (c) religion,  (d) sex,  (e) race,  (f) age and  (g) sexual orientation were made to employment tribunals in each year for which data are available; how many such cases were heard by tribunals in each year; and in how many cases heard by a tribunal the claimant was successful in each year.

Gareth Thomas: In the five-year period January 2002 to December 2007, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform had the following claims made to an employment tribunal:
	 (a) Disability
	2003 One case submitted to ET withdrawn before hearing.
	2004 Two cases submitted to ET one withdrawn before hearing one heard and was unsuccessful.
	2005 One case submitted to ET, withdrawn before hearing.
	2006 One case submitted to ET, withdrawn before hearing.
	2007 Five cases submitted to ET, three withdrawn before hearing one heard and was successful one heard and was unsuccessful.
	 (b) Gender reassignment, no cases submitted to ET between 2002 and 2007.
	 (c) Religion no cases submitted to ET between 2002 and 2007.
	 (d) Sex 2006 One case submitted to ET, withdrawn before hearing.
	 (e) 2004 1 case submitted to ET, withdrawn before hearing.
	2007 One submitted to ET Struck out by ET Judge.
	 (f) Age no cases submitted to ET between 2002 and 2007
	 (g) Sexual orientation no cases submitted to ET between 2002 and 2007.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Archaeology

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council on the funding levels of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council on the likely effect of funding the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the current level in 2008-09 on the number of posts; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met the chief executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to discuss these matters. In my capacity as Minister responsible for Culture I have met the MLA's chief executive regularly. During the course of these meetings we have discussed funding issues for the MLA as a whole. The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is funded by the MLA, so the impact of funding levels on the Scheme is a matter for it. The MLA is committed to the continued success of the PAS and is working together with other stakeholders to ensure that it is achieved.

Archaeology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Director of the British Museum on the effect of funding the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the current level in 2008-09 on the number of posts; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met the Director of the British Museum to discuss this matter. In my capacity as Minister responsible for Culture, I have met the Museum's Director regularly. During the course of these meetings we have discussed the future of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). The British Museum is committed to the continued success of the PAS and is working with other stakeholders to ensure that it is achieved.

Arts Council of England: Expenditure

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by Arts Council England in the Bassetlaw constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 20 February 2008
	 Arts Council funding for Bassetlaw for the past 10 years is as follows.
	
		
			   Grant in aid  Lottery 
			 1997-98 — 68,901 
			 1998-99 — — 
			 1999-2000 — 17,707 
			 2000-01 — 6,422 
			 2001-02 — — 
			 2002-03 — 15,000 
			 2003-04 — 5,000 
			 2004-05 — 41,374 
			 2005-06 — 23,545 
			 2006-07 — 153,263 
			 2007-08 (to January 2008) — 13,716 
			 Total — 344,928

Arts: Public Expenditure

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total public expenditure on the arts in  (a) England and  (b) Bassetlaw was in 2007.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 20 February 2008
	 My Department expects to provide £422.2 million grant in aid for Arts Council England in 2007-08, following parliamentary approval of the spring supplementary estimate. Final outturn figures will be available in June 2008. Projected lottery income to Arts Council England (including investment income) in 2007-08 is £146 million. Final lottery figures will be available in mid April.
	Bassetlaw received £13,716 in lottery funding between April 2007 and January 2008.

British Amusement Catering Trade Association

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 317W, on the British Amusement Catering Trade Association, what the outcome was of representations received from, and discussions held with, the Association.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 February 2008
	I am carefully considering the representations made to me by the British Amusement Catering Trades Association (BACTA), together with the evidence that has been provided by some of its members. I hope to be able to respond to BACTA's campaign shortly.

Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the Casino Impacts Scoping Study; on what date the report  (a) was commissioned,  (b) was originally scheduled for publication and  (c) is expected to be published; and what the cost of producing the report is.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The Scoping Study for a UK Gambling Act, 2005 Impact Assessment Framework was commissioned in May 2006 and scheduled for completion in November 2006.
	We did not stipulate a publication date but I expect that it will be published shortly. The cost of producing the study was approximately £50,000.

Casinos

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 317W, on casinos, how many adult gaming centres are in operation in England and Wales.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 February 2008
	No figures are currently available for the number of adult gaming centres (AGCs) or for any other type of licensed gambling premises in operation.
	Licensing authorities are responsible for providing information on the number of AGC premises licences they have issued to the Gambling Commission but complete information is not yet available. The Gambling Commission will publish information on the number of AGC premises licences issued by licensing authorities in due course.

Casinos

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 317-18W, on casinos, what assessment has been made of the financial impact of the operation of the Gambling Act 2005 on adult gaming centres in England and Wales since September 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 February 2008
	I am currently considering representations that have been made to me by the British Amusement Catering Trades Association (BACTA) and others about what it is claimed has been the financial impact of the Gambling Act 2005 on adult gaming centres. I hope to be able to respond to BACTA's campaign shortly.

Creative Sparks Initiative

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pupils have  (a) performed music live to an audience,  (b) taken part in a theatre production,  (c) visited an art gallery,  (d) visited a library and  (e) visited an historic building under the Creative Sparks initiative since its inception.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 February 2008
	The DCMS Five Year Plan 'Living Life to the Full', published in March 2005, included a proposal to develop the Creative Sparks initiative by 2010.
	From 2005 we trialled the idea of a cultural offer for children and young people in three areas of the country—Telford, Durham and Bournemouth and Poole—through the Cultural Hubs programme. We have also continued to develop our cultural programmes aimed at children and young people, including Creative Partnerships, the education element of Renaissance in the Regions and the Strategic Commissioning Programme for Museums and Galleries.
	We will now take these programmes forward under the new title of 'Find your Talent'. As announced on 13 February 2008 a series of ten regional pilots will be selected by the summer.
	It is not possible to give figures for the number of pupils who have taken part in the activities listed in the question, but the 'Taking Part' survey shows that young people took part in the following levels of activity:
	 (a) Played a musical instrument to an audience: 21 per cent.
	 (b) Rehearsed or performed in a play: 38 per cent.
	 (c) Visited a museum or gallery: 55 per cent.
	 (d) Visited a library: 72 per cent.
	 (e) Visited a historic environment site: 72 per cent.
	The data relate to activities done in and out of school by 11 to 15 year olds living in private households in England. The interviews were conducted between January and December 2006.
	The 10 pilots under the 'Find your Talent' scheme will be asked to audit the level of provision and the take-up of cultural activities by children and young people.

Creative Sparks Initiative: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on the Creative Sparks initiative in each year since its inception; and what plans it has for expenditure on Creative Sparks over the next two years.

Margaret Hodge: The DCMS Five Year Plan 'Living Life to the Full', published in March 2005, included a proposal to develop the Creative Sparks initiative by 2010. It is being enacted through the 'Find your Talent' policy announced on 13 February 2008. The sum of £25 million has been set aside over the next three years by the DCMS, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Arts Council England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to establish 10 local area pilots where a full range of partners will trial different ways of delivering a comprehensive cultural offer. In the interim period, the DCMS and DCSF have continued to invest significant amounts in cultural programmes aimed at children and young people. These include Creative Partnerships, Cultural Hubs, the education element of Renaissance in the Regions and Strategic Commissioning for museums and galleries.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's civil servants were  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport no civil servants have been  (a) suspended, or  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.
	As part of the Department's internet policy, we monitor all internet usage and block inappropriate sites.

Departmental Internet

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spends on the website Margaret Hodge's DCMS Diary; how many unique visitors this section of his Department's website receives each month; how many total hits this section of his Department's website receives each month; and how many full-time staff or equivalent are employed to run this section of his Department's website.

Margaret Hodge: Margaret Hodge's Diary is a page within the main DCMS website, www.culture.gov.uk. No additional funds are spent on that section of the website. Figures available for the site are:
	
		
			   Number 
			  13 to 31 January 2008  
			 Total hits 37,581 
			 Unique visitors 279 
		
	
	No full-time staff or equivalent are employed to run this section of the website. The diary pages are managed using existing resources.

Departmental Studies

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 38W, on departmental studies, when he will place in the Library copies of  (a) assessing the readiness of the social housing sector for digital switchover,  (b) governance of non-departmental government bodies,  (c) the casino impacts scoping study,  (d) sport's contribution to achieving wider social benefits,  (e) measuring elasticity of tourism demand,  (f) international dimension of the creative economy,  (g) exploring creative industry spillovers,  (h) the review of performance indicator framework for national museums and galleries and  (i) culture on demand.

Margaret Hodge: Pursuant to my answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 38W, the following studies have been published and have been placed in the Library:
	 (a) Assessing the Readiness of the Social Housing Sector for Digital Switchover (now entitled Communal TV Systems and Preparation for Digital Switchover),  (d) Sport's Contribution to Achieving Wider Social Benefits,  (h) Review of Performance Indicator Framework for National Museums and Galleries and (i) Culture on Demand (now entitled Review of Evidence Base for Delivering SP2/ PSA3).
	The following studies have now been published and will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses today:
	 (b) Governance of Non-departmental Government Bodies,  (f) International Dimension of the Creative Economy (now entitled A Framework for Understanding International Demand for the Creative Industries)  (g) Exploring Creative Industry Spillovers.
	The following study will be published shortly:
	 (c) The Casino Impacts Scoping Study - The Lancaster Study.
	The following study is unfinished and a decision to publish will be taken once complete:
	 (e) Measuring Elasticity of Tourist Demand.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has used two employment agencies to provide temporary staff since August 2007, Hays and Brook Street. The average hourly rate for staff provided by Hays was £12.70; the average hourly rate for Brook Street was £11.93.
	For the period 2005-06, the Department used Adecco and Josephine Sammons, whose hourly rates were respectively £13.96 and £14.50.
	The information requested prior to 2005 could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what documents his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has translated the following documents for people in the UK who do not speak English:
	Leaflet on the National Lottery (November 2002). Translated into Hindi and Punjabi.
	Leaflet on the Licensing Act 2003 (August 2005). Translated into Turkish, Greek, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujerati, Urdu, Chinese, Arabic and Kurdish.
	Information on documents translated by our associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Gambling Commission: Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many specialist Gambling Commission compliance officers there are; and how many have been appointed since the Gambling Act 2005 entered into force.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission has 55 regionally based compliance staff (all of whom are designated enforcement officers). In addition there is a specialist enforcement team of 10 officers based in Birmingham with national responsibilities. There are eight further specialist compliance staff (sector experts/technical advisers) who have also been appointed as enforcement officers.
	Three compliance officers and one enforcement officer have been appointed since the Gambling Act 2005 came into force on 1 September 2007.

Licensing: Fees and Charges

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the report of the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel; and whether he plans to review the fees prescribed by the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am considering my response to the Independent Licensing Fees Panel report, and I expect to make changes to the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) 2005 Regulations in due course.

Museums and Galleries

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what progress has been made towards his Department's public service agreement target to increase significantly the number of people from priority groups accessing museums and galleries collections; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people aged 16 years and above  (a) from black and minority ethnic groups,  (b) with a limiting disability,  (c) from lower socio-economic groups and  (d) in total attended museums and galleries collections in each year for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: The DCMS 'Taking Part' survey is being used to measure progress against this public service agreement.
	The most recent results were published in December 2007 in the following table. They provide a comparison between the baseline figures and the second-year results of the survey. The statistics show no significant change from year one to year two.
	We are working closely with the cultural sector's strategic delivery bodies—Arts Council England, English Heritage and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council—to ensure that we maximise our impact on increasing participation rates.
	These bodies deliver through a range of programmes and initiatives with cultural organisations at regional and local level. This includes investment in programmes such as Renaissance in the Regions, which has seen visits to local museums and galleries by people from the PSA3 priority groups up by over 30 per cent. since 2002-03; free admission to formerly charging sponsored museums in England, where attendance has gone up by 98 per cent. since 2001; record investment in Arts Council England's regularly funded organisations of £326 million this year; and Heritage Open Days, which receives its core funding from English Heritage, where 850,000 people visited some of 3,500 buildings last year, making it England's largest voluntary cultural event.
	The museums and galleries indicator is defined as at least one attendance at a museum or gallery during the past 12 months.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Year 1  Year 2 
			 Black and minority ethnic 35.5 33.6 
			 Limiting disability 32.1 31.1 
			 Lower socio-economic 28.3 28.2 
			 All adults 42.3 41.5

National Lottery: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in prizes awarded by the National Lottery to individuals who reside in  (a) the Tamworth constituency and  (b) Staffordshire in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not available. The national lottery operator, Camelot, does not collect prize payout information on a constituency or postcode basis; nor does it collect the addresses of winners who win prizes of less than £500.

Performing Arts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information his Department collects on the number of constituencies in England with no permanent theatre or community performing arts space.

Margaret Hodge: My Department does not collect the requested information.

Sports: Schools

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school sports co-ordinators have been introduced in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since the establishment of the policy.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The School Sport Partnership (SSP) infrastructure of Partnership Development Managers, Secondary Sport Co-ordinators and Primary Link Teachers was rolled out in stages between 2000 and 2006.
	Information on numbers of School Sport Co-ordinators is only readily available for 2006 and 2008. Information for other years is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number 
			   2006  2008 
			  (a) Jarrow 5 5 
			  (b) South Tyneside 10 10 
			  (c) North East 211 209 
			  (d) England 2,765 3,255

Tourism

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the 10 most popular tourist attractions in England were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) revenue raised and  (b) visitor numbers.

Margaret Hodge: The tables show the top 10 tourist attractions in England and admission figures between 1999 and 2006.
	Information before 1999 and information on the revenue raised by these attractions are not available.
	
		
			  Top 10 tourist attractions and visitor numbers in England( 1, 2) 
			  1999 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 7,100,000 
			 British Museum 5,461,000 
			 National Gallery 4,965,000 
			 Alton Towers 2,650,000 
			 Madame Tussaud's 2,640,000 
			 Pleasureland Theme Park 2,500,000 
			 Tower of London 2,429,000 
			 Adventure Island 2,000,000 
			 York Minster 1,900,000 
			 Tate Britain 1,822,000 
		
	
	
		
			  2000 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,800,000 
			 Millennium Dome 6,517,000 
			 British Museum 5,466,000 
			 National Gallery 4,988,000 
			 Tate Modern 3,874,000 
			 British Airways London Eye 3,300,000 
			 Pleasureland Theme Park 2,600,000 
			 Adventure Island 2,500,000 
			 Alton Towers 2,450,000 
			 Madame Tussaud's 2,388,000 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,500,000 
			 National Gallery 4,919,000 
			 British Museum 4,801,000 
			 British Airways London Eye 3,850,000 
			 Tate Modern 3,552,000 
			 Tower of London 2,019,000 
			 Pleasureland Theme Park 2,000,000 
			 Eden Project 1,700,000 
			 Natural History Museum 1,696,000 
			 Science Museum 1,353,000 
		
	
	
		
			  200 2 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,200,000 
			 Tate Modern 4,661,000 
			 British Museum 4,607,000 
			 National Gallery 4,131,000 
			 British Airways London Eye 4,100,000 
			 Natural History Museum 2,958,000 
			 Science Museum 2,722,000 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 2,210,000 
			 Pleasureland Theme Park 2,000,000 
			 Tower of London 1,941,000 
		
	
	
		
			  200 3 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,200,000 
			 British Museum 4,584,000 
			 National Gallery 4,360,000 
			 Tate Modern 3,896,000 
			 British Airways London Eye 3,700,000 
			 Natural History Museum 2,894,000 
			 Science Museum 2,887,000 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 2,257,000 
			 Pleasureland Theme Park 2,100,000 
			 Tower of London 1,972,000 
		
	
	
		
			  200 4 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,200,000 
			 National Gallery 4,960,000 
			 British Museum 4,868,000 
			 Brighton Pier 4,500,000 
			 Tate Modern 4,441,000 
			 British Airways London Eye 3,700,000 
			 Natural History Museum 3,240,000 
			 Xscape Castleford 2,800,000 
			 Science Museum 2,169,000 
			 Upper Derwent Reservoirs 1,750,000 
		
	
	
		
			  200 5 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 6,000,000 
			 British Museum 4,536,000 
			 National Gallery 4,202,000 
			 Tate Modern 3,902,000 
			 River Lee Country Park 3,500,000 
			 Xscape Castleford 3,250,000 
			 Natural History Museum 3,078,000 
			 Parkland at Dalton Park 2,100,000 
			 Science Museum 2,020,000 
			 Tower of London 1,931,000 
		
	
	
		
			  200 6 
			   Number 
			 Blackpool Pleasure Beach 5,730,000 
			 Tate Modern 4,915,000 
			 British Museum 4,838,000 
			 National Gallery 4,562,000 
			 Natural History Museum 3,754,000 
			 River Lee Country Park 3,500,000 
			 Xscape Castleford 3,476,000 
			 Science Museum 2,440,000 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 2,373,000 
			 Parkland at Dalton Park 2,200,000 
			 (1) Participation within the Visitor Attraction survey is voluntary and so there may be attractions that choose not to participate or to remain anonymous. For these reasons, comparisons between years is not advisable. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.  Source: Visitor Attraction Trends survey, England (Visit Britain).

Tourism: Standards

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what target his Department has set for tourism growth in the period 2008-11;
	(2)  when he plans to announce a new tourism growth target for 2008-11;
	(3)  what progress his Department has made towards the target of increasing turnover in the tourism industry to £100 billion by 2010, as described by his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde, in departmental media release 140/05, dated 20 October 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 20 February 2008
	The present DCMS strategic target for tourism growth is total UK turnover of £100 billion by 2010. This was agreed with the industry, the Regional Development Agencies and the Local Government Association in 2004, and announced in the policy document "Tomorrow's Tourism Today". The industry's turnover was £85.6 billion in 2006, compared to £74.2 billion in 2003.
	Since 2004 the outlook for the UK tourism industry has changed considerably, particularly because of the opportunities of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Accordingly, DCMS announced in October 2007 in "Winning: A tourism strategy for 2012 and beyond", that it would work with the industry and its public sector partners towards agreeing a revised strategic target for tourism.

Tourism: West Midlands

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average expenditure per head by overseas tourists visiting  (a) Birmingham,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) the area covered by Tamworth Borough Council in the latest period for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the average expenditure per 'visit' by overseas residents visiting  (a) Birmingham and  (b) the West Midlands for the latest available year.
	Information for the area covered by Tamworth borough council is not available.
	
		
			  Average expenditure( 1)  per visit by overseas residents, 2006 
			   £ 
			 Birmingham(2) 311 
			 West Midlands(3) 333 
			 (1) Expenditure excludes fares for travel to and from the UK. (2) Figures are based on small sample sizes and as such should be treated with extreme caution, and used solely as an indicative estimate. (3) Government office region.  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS).

UK Sport: Manpower

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are employed in the drug-free sport department of UK Sport; what the salary costs of the department were in the last 12 months; and how many consultants are employed by UK Sport to work with that department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: UK Sport currently employs 19 people in its drug-free sport department. The salary costs for the department in the year to March 2008 are forecast to be £703,600. UK Sport employs one part-time consultant to work with the department as an IT specialist.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Admiralty House

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1079W, on Admiralty House, what individual utilities are covered by the charge paid by occupying Departments.

Tom Watson: The charge paid by Departments occupying the ministerial flats at Admiralty House includes sums for gas, electricity, water and sewerage, the Whitehall district heating system and the Whitehall stand-by distribution system (a back-up electricity supply).

Christmas

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether it is his policy to use  (a) incandescent light bulbs or  (b) LED lights for festive decorations in the Prime Minister's Office.

Tom Watson: The Christmas trees within the Prime Minister's Office were lit by LED lights. The external tree outside No. 10 Downing street was lit by a combination of LED and compact fluorescent lamp fittings. Incandescent lights are not used.

Civil Servants: Vacancies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of Civil Service vacancies have been advertised on the  (a) public and  (b) Civil Service and accredited non-departmental public bodies staff-only sections of the Civil Service recruitment gateway website in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: Government Departments are responsible for ensuring that their vacancies are publicised on the civil service recruitment gateway. Data is not collected centrally on the total number of civil service and NDPB vacancies at any given time.
	From 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007, 5,727 vacancies were advertised, of which  (a) 2,916 were advertised on the public part of the site and  (b) 2,811 on the civil service and accredited non-departmental public bodies staff-only section of the civil service recruitment gateway website.

Committees

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the titles of all working groups attached to Cabinet Committee MISC 32.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Committee on Pandemic Influenza Planning (MISC 32) is supported by the Pandemic Flu Implementation Group of officials.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) press and  (b) communications officers the Cabinet Office employed in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the then Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office my hon. Friend the Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr. Murphy), on 10 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1837-38W, and by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office on 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1349W.
	The Cabinet Office does not keep separate records of numbers of other communication staff, who do not all work in the central communications unit.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants employed by his Department have no job description.

Tom Watson: Our performance management policy requires all civil servants employed by the Cabinet Office to have a performance agreement which sets out their roles and responsibilities for the post and objectives for the performance year.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the policy of his Department is on the attendance of civil servants at party political events; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: Civil servants are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how much his Department and its agencies spent on first class travel in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by staff grade;
	(2)  how much his Department and its agencies spent on  (a) first and  (b) other class travel by Eurostar in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: Information on expenditure incurred on first and other class travel by the Cabinet Office is not held centrally and is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour.

Tom Watson: Information on honours held by employees is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	It is a matter for public record when an honour is awarded. This information is published in the  London Gazette, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Trade Unions

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which trade unions have a recognition agreement with the Cabinet Office.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office recognises the Public and Commercial Services Union, the First Division Association and Prospect. The Department has a partnership agreement with all three.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women were referred by national health service GPs to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service for an abortion in each of the last four years for which figures are available; and what the  (a) age of the woman,  (b) gestation of the pregnancy and  (c) region of residence was in each case;
	(2)  how many early medical abortions were performed by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service at the request of the national health service in each of the last four years, broken down by  (a) age of the woman,  (b) gestation of the pregnancy and  (c) region of residence.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Total national health service funded abortions at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinics, England, 2003 to 2006 
			  Age  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Under 15 233 192 206 235 
			 15 524 533 564 668 
			 16 1,140 1,224 1,225 1,286 
			 17 1,656 1,750 1,801 1,929 
			 18 1,833 1,990 1,993 2,488 
			 19 1,906 2,181 2,200 2,605 
			 20 1,895 2,131 2,333 2,483 
			 21 1,779 1,967 1,983 2,447 
			 22 1,706 1,945 2,019 2,213 
			 23 1,642 1,805 1,873 2,233 
			 24 1,438 1,803 1,714 2,065 
			 25 1,198 1,506 1,627 1,878 
			 26 1,161 1,241 1,451 1,684 
			 27 995 1,227 1,167 1,435 
			 28 913 1,099 1,161 1,393 
			 29 885 966 1,039 1,148 
			 30 856 963 952 1,153 
			 31 786 891 926 1,034 
			 32 749 831 914 992 
			 33 688 762 820 928 
			 34 608 721 795 876 
			 35 601 662 674 832 
			 36 593 641 690 774 
			 37 533 567 597 707 
			 38 443 521 526 597 
			 39 392 424 459 540 
			 40 325 368 406 469 
			 41 244 298 289 415 
			 42 163 214 244 236 
			 43 129 131 154 200 
			 44 57 88 92 121 
			 45 and over (1)65 74 86 145 
			 Total 28,136 31,716 32,980 38,209 
			 (1) Includes age not stated. For years 2004 onwards age not stated are allocated to ages 20-24 
		
	
	
		
			  Gestation weeks 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 5 and under 188 347 916 1,254 
			 6 1,176 1,733 2,959 3,609 
			 7 3,510 5,076 7,004 7,854 
			 8 5,037 5,800 6,101 7,017 
			 9 3,674 3,950 3,589 4,298 
			 10 3,508 3,350 2,851 3,241 
			 11 2,126 2,227 1,777 2,152 
			 12 2,161 2,130 1,766 1,962 
			 13 1,259 1,523 1,165 1,429 
			 14 950 1,078 950 1,124 
			 15 952 942 816 819 
			 16 539 555 627 631 
			 17 731 734 593 641 
			 18 628 545 441 515 
			 19 393 399 470 450 
			 20 331 341 398 410 
			 21 378 398 282 337 
			 22 355 351 165 240 
			 23 240 237 110 226 
			 Total 28,136 31,716 32,980 38,209 
		
	
	
		
			  Strategic health authority (SHA)( 1)  of residence of woman 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 East 857 884 1,075 
			 East Midlands 1,349 1,719 1,416 
			 London 5,053 5,921 6,177 
			 North West 2,362 2,814 2,983 
			 North East 41 51 54 
			 South East 7,502 8,001 8,089 
			 South West 2,557 3,156 3,143 
			 West Midlands 6,009 6,618 7,095 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2,406 2,552 2,948 
			 Total 28,136 31,716 32,980 
		
	
	
		
			  SHA( 1)  of residence of woman 
			   2006 
			 East of England 1,163 
			 East Midlands 1,698 
			 London 7,655 
			 North West 3,367 
			 North East 56 
			 South Central 4,632 
			 South East Coast 4,345 
			 South West 3,282 
			 West Midlands 8,570 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,441 
			 Total 38,209 
			 (1) Changed boundaries in 2006 
		
	
	
		
			  Total NHS funded medical abortions performed under nine weeks gestation at BPAS clinics, England, 2003 to 2006 
			  Age  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Under 16 (2)— (2)— 61 99 
			 Under 18 107 142 364 585 
			 18 76 129 237 459 
			 19 83 152 295 486 
			 20 85 161 314 436 
			 21 105 148 295 468 
			 22 106 145 304 464 
			 23 99 161 302 484 
			 24 103 161 260 452 
			 25 70 143 302 413 
			 26 75 124 287 407 
			 27 69 140 236 343 
			 28 60 108 219 336 
			 29 72 106 197 263 
			 30 71 99 177 330 
			 31 47 95 186 251 
			 32 54 89 175 263 
			 33 56 80 167 232 
			 34 43 73 171 246 
			 35 and over 255 427 869 1,282 
			 Total 1,636 2,683 5,357 8,200 
		
	
	
		
			  Gestation weeks 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 5 and under 134 245 780 1,159 
			 6 465 717 1,611 2,581 
			 7 585 1,012 1,851 2,757 
			 8 452 709 1,115 1,703 
			 Total 1,636 2,683 5,357 8,200 
		
	
	
		
			  SHA( 1)  of residence of woman 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 East 43 (2)— (2)— 
			 East Midlands (2)— 78 105 
			 London 362 582 956 
			 North West 74 97 196 
			 North East (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 South East 507 913 1,468 
			 South West 85 192 511 
			 West Midlands 348 597 1,291 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 173 171 734 
			 Total 1,636 2,683 5,357 
		
	
	
		
			  SHA( 1)  of residence of woman 
			   2006 
			 East of England (2)— 
			 East Midlands 209 
			 London 1,342 
			 North West 298 
			 North East (2)— 
			 South Central 750 
			 South East Coast 1,085 
			 South West 921 
			 West Midlands 2,524 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 886 
			 Total 8,200 
			 (1 )SHA changed boundaries in 2006. (2 )Suppressed totals less than 10 (between 0 and 9) and values where a presented total would reveal a suppressed value.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Cornwall

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of accident and emergency patients in Cornwall had a trolley wait of over four hours in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on the percentage of patients not placed in a bed, in a ward, within four hours of a decision to admit (commonly referred to as a 'trolley wait') is reported by National Health Service Hospital Trusts.
	This is published quarterly as part of the Department's "Quarterly Monthly Accident and Emergency (A and E) Services Central Return" (QMAE) dataset. Information is collected at trust level, and Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust reports that 0.2 per cent. of patients were in this position for the period July to September 2007. This is the latest period for which figures are available.
	This information is for admissions via type 1 (major) A and E departments only.

Ambulance Services: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many ambulances are operating in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) Chorley;
	(2)  how many paramedics are based in Chorley.

Ben Bradshaw: Information relating to the number of ambulances operating in Lancashire, including those in Chorley, as well as the number of paramedics who might be based in Chorley, is not held centrally. These data can instead be obtained direct from the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
	The headcount for paramedics in the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust in 2006 was 1,175. The figures for 2007 will be available in March.

Aphasia

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with  (a) aphasia,  (b) dyspraxia and  (c) dysproxia, broken down by (i) strategic health authority area, (ii) primary care trust and (iii) constituency in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people diagnosed with specific medical conditions, including aphasia and dyspraxia/dysproxia, is not collected.

Autism

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on establishment of a national strategy on autism and Asperger's syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have not received any representations on the establishment of a national strategy on autism and Asperger's syndrome.
	However, I recently attended the launch of the National Autistic Society's I Exist campaign which calls on the Government to demonstrate national leadership by encouraging implementation of good practice at a regional and local level.
	It is for local authorities to manage their priorities and decide how resources should be distributed, taking into consideration locally identified needs and assessments of individuals.
	"Better Services for people with an autistic spectrum disorder: A note clarifying current Government policy and describing good practice" was published on 16 November 2006. It clarifies the nature and intent of existing Government policy as it relates to adults with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A copy of this document is available in the Library.

Aviation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on  (a) business and  (b) first-class air travel in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: For the Financial year 2006-07, the Department spent £672,048 on business-class air travel and £6,350 on first-class air travel.

Baby Care Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid out in financial support schemes or discount schemes by hospitals for family costs incurred while babies needed care in a neonatal unit last year; and how many families used this service.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally.

Basildon Hospital: Clostridium

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 870-72W, on Basildon Hospital: clostridium, when information for January to December 2007 will be made available.

Ann Keen: The Health Protection Agency publishes these data on their website and final figures for the year January to December 2007 for all NHS acute trusts in England, including Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust, will be available in July 2008. Once this information is available, a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the Eastern regional bowel cancer screening hub  (a) catches up and  (b) keeps pace with other regional hubs in terms of (i) invitations sent, (ii) kits sent and (iii) kits returned.

Ann Keen: The pace of rollout in each screening hub is governed by a strategy agreed with the local strategic health authorities which reflect local circumstances. The roll-out of bowel cancer screening is administered from the Eastern Regional Bowel Cancer Screening Hub.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, by what means he plans to measure the extent to which  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) cancer networks give high priority to raising public awareness of cancer risk factors; and what sanctions there will be for (i) primary care trusts and (ii) cancer networks which do not do this.

Ann Keen: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are funded to meet the healthcare needs of their populations, which will include the provision of cancer services. PCTs are expected to plan for and commission services, and to monitor delivery of those services against local agreements. PCT and cancer networks are jointly responsible for making local decisions about the services needed, and are expected to use local information to assess the need for local awareness initiatives. PCTs are responsible for driving and managing change locally.

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, what the timetable is for ensuring that GPs and primary care professionals have fast access to relevant diagnostic tests for cancer; and how he plans to measure progress towards this objective.

Ann Keen: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that general practitioner and primary care professionals have appropriate and timely direct access to diagnostic tests, and to determine whether these diagnostic facilities should be provided in acute general hospitals or in community settings, on the basis of local circumstances and the needs of their local populations.

Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 992W, on cancer, whether the information on projected cancer in-patient costs placed in the Library expresses costs in real or cash terms.

Ann Keen: All the cost estimates are in real terms with a base year of 2005-06.

Cancer: Drugs

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Cancer Director's forthcoming review of cancer drugs will evaluate geographical variations in the use of cancer drugs  (a) approved by and  (b) awaiting appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Ann Keen: The National Cancer Director's forthcoming review of cancer drugs will evaluate the usage of National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)-approved cancer drugs. It will not evaluate the usage of cancer drugs awaiting appraisal by NICE.
	It is expected that the evaluation report will be published before the end of the year.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken to reduce the incidence of death from cardiovascular disease among people under 75 since 1997.

Ann Keen: The national service framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease (CHD) published in March 2000 sets a 10-year framework for action to prevent disease, tackle inequalities, save more lives, and improve the quality of life for people with heart disease.
	The implementation of the NSF has led to a reduction in premature mortality, improved diagnostic and treatment facilities, faster care and better prevention of heart disease.
	The target set out in 'Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation' to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease (CHD and stroke and related diseases) by 40 per cent. in people under 75 by 2010 has been met five years early. The mortality rate fell by 40.3 per cent. between 2004 and 2006 over the 1995-97 baseline. This means that we are now saving nearly 31,000 lives per year from cardiovascular disease.
	This progress is set out in detail in the recent report 'Building for the future', a copy of which has been placed in the Library and which is also available at
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_083060.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, what  (a) target and  (b) timetable he has for reducing the variation of cervical cancer screening coverage between primary care trusts; when he plans to measure the performance of this policy; and by what means.

Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) working in partnership with their strategic health authorities, local screening services and local stakeholders to provide appropriate cervical screening services for their local populations, which includes increasing coverage. Participation can be improved by engaging with potential users at a community level.
	To incentivise services to encourage higher coverage, we will explore moving to an activity-based system for funding screening services. We are at the early stages of this exploration, and are focusing on how cancer screening can fit within the existing "payment by results" system. National health service cancer screening programmes will also encourage the sharing of best practice in improving accessibility for all groups. There is a need to ensure that health inequalities are tackled with targeted programmes that increase the uptake of screening in poor communities and in black and ethnic-minority communities. Commissioners in PCTs with low coverage will wish to develop these programmes.
	We will continue to monitor levels of cervical screening coverage through the Office for National Statistics/Information Centre for health and social care annual Cervical Screening Statistical bulletin.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, on what date he expects all women to be informed of the result of their cervical screening test within two weeks of its being taken.

Ann Keen: Paragraph 3.14 of the Cancer Reform Strategy states that all women should receive the results of their cervical screening tests within two weeks by 2010.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy what  (a) target and  (b) timetable he has set for tackling the falling participation of women aged 25 to 35 in cervical cancer screening.

Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) working in partnership with their strategic health authorities (SHAs), local screening services and local stakeholders to provide appropriate cervical screening services for their local populations, which includes tackling the falling participation in women aged 25 to 35.
	In order to tackle the fall in coverage among younger women, national health service cancer screening programmes have commissioned the Improvement Foundation to undertake work at a local level targeting this age group. The lessons learned from this work, due to be completed in 2009, will be shared with SHAs and local screening programmes to develop best practice. The NHS cancer screening programmes' press office is developing an information pack to be issued to all local screening programmes and is also developing a public relations strategy, including articles in appropriate media publications and posters. In addition, Cancer Research UK has commissioned research on this issue, which we will monitor closely. We will share the findings.
	Continued local action in this area is also essential, and we will continue to monitor levels of cervical screening coverage through the Office for National Statistics/Information Centre for health and social annual Cervical Screening Statistical bulletin.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what evidential basis changes were made in 2005-06 to the NHS Direct Health Encyclopaedia in relation to possible causes of chronic fatigue syndrome, to remove references to altered immune response due possibly to infections such as glandular fever or hepatitis neurotoxins and to immunisation; and what medical references were taken into consideration.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally, but may be available from the Chairman of NHS Direct Trust.

Clostridium

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were infected with  (a) clostridium difficile and  (b) MRSA as recorded by the mandatory surveillance system, broken down by NHS trust in 2006-07; and what those figures are per 1,000 admissions of patients aged over 65 years.

Ann Keen: The mandatory surveillance system operated for the Department by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) provides data on the number of reports of methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections and  Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile) infection. All acute national health service trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of MRSA bloodstream infections and  C. difficile infection processed by their laboratories and the data are published at trust level.
	Mandatory surveillance of MRSA bloodstream infections was introduced in April 2001 and in 2004 for  C. difficile for patients aged 65 and over, and has been extended to all patients aged two and over from April 2007.
	The HPA publishes these data on its website, so this information and any further information on the number of MRSA infections for NHS acute trusts is available at
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results.htm.
	and the number of  C. difficile infections for NHS Acute Trusts is available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results.htm
	The quarterly mandatory surveillance data on  C. difficile and MRSA are also available in the Library. These will be updated each quarter.
	Rates per 1,000 bed days are available for those aged 65 years and over for  C. difficile in the above table for  C. difficile. Rates for the over-65 age group are not available for MRSA. However, the MRSA enhanced surveillance scheme introduced in 2005 provides limited data. An analysis of data(1) for cases diagnosed between April 2006 and March 2007 where age was provided showed that 69 per cent. of cases occurred in people aged 65 years and over.
	(1) Sources—Health Protection Agency. Surveillance of healthcare associated infections report 2007
	www.hpa.org.uk/publications/PublicationDisplay.asp?PublicationID=108 (page 21).

Departmental Computer Software

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the source code copies of core application software used by his Department and its agencies and supplied by third parties are held in escrow.

Ben Bradshaw: It is a contractual requirement for the National Programme for Information Technology main suppliers to ensure all source code copies of core software supplied for the national programme systems and services, including that supplied by their subcontractors, are placed in escrow. Outside the National Programme, source code developed for the Department by third parties is held by the Department.
	The core business application for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Sentinel, is supplied by Accenture and is held in escrow. For all other applications developed by third parties, the source code is supplied to the agency by the third party and held by the agency themselves.
	Bespoke applications that are developed for the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency are normally held in escrow.

Departmental Data Protection

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many confirmed security breaches of databases controlled by his Department occurred in each of the last five years; whether the breach resulted from internal or external sources in each case; how many records were compromised on each occasion; and what estimate was made of the total number of records accessible to the individuals concerned.

Ben Bradshaw: Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department have given rise to responses that have been published by his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has adopted a selective disclosure log, whereby only the most interesting and high-profile pieces of information are published. Between 1 January 2005 and 30 September 2007, 2 per cent. of Freedom of Information requests received by the Department gave rise to responses that were published by the Department. However, we periodically publish a list of all requests that have resulted in release of information, providing brief subject details and advice that the information may be obtained on request. The last such list, published in August 2007, covered information released between October and December 2006.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department paid in bonuses to press and communication officers in each of the last 10 years; and what the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest such bonus was in each of those years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not have a 'communication officer' grade or job title so the figures provided are for press officers. Some officers in Directorates other than Communications have some media, press or communications liaison responsibility, but this is not recorded in a consistent or economically retrievable form. Figures given as follows are therefore for the communications Directorate alone. The figures for 2003-04 are estimates. Figures are given for complete financial years.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Special bonus total  Senior civil servant (SCS) bonus total  Total bonuses  Maximum bonus  Minimum bonus 
			 2006-07 2,700.00 4,577.00 7,277.00 4,577.00 1,000.00 
			 2005-06 1,000.00 7,850.00 8,850.00 7,850.00 250.00 
			 2004-05 1,311.50 6,859.00 8,170.50 6,859.00 111.50 
			 2003-04 3,000.00 0.00 3,000.00 500.00 500.00 
		
	
	The Department changed its payroll provider in 2003-04. Information on performance bonus payments prior to 2004-05 is available only from individual payslips. To retrieve this information would therefore involve disproportionate cost.
	The figures provided include bonuses paid to press officers who are Senior Civil Servants under pay arrangements common across the civil service and special bonuses paid to press officers under schemes operated by the Department and its Agencies.
	Senior Civil Service bonuses reward excellent performance during the year, on the basis of a judgment of how well people perform relative to their peers. This covers the extent to which objectives are met and how they are achieved, and has regard to how leadership behaviours and professional skills are demonstrated and how stretching objectives are.
	Special bonuses are awarded for a number of different reasons. The most common of these are an outstanding contribution in a particularly demanding situation, job loading becoming temporarily very heavy, a high level of commitment and resolution to get a job done, special efforts to produce results, cover for a high level of absence, and a contribution over and above what would normally be expected for the job and of the person or team concerned. Special bonuses can be paid either to individuals or to a group or team of staff at any point in the year, and only for additional duties undertaken which will not be recognised through annual pay awards.

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many external contracts his Department held with public relations companies in each of the last 10 years; and what the total cost of those contracts was.

Ben Bradshaw: Expenditure outlined as follows is for outsourced public relations from financial years 2001-02 to 2006-07. Information related to contractual values prior to 2001 is held on legacy systems and is therefore not accessible.
	
		
			  Financial year  Annual expenditure (£)  Number of contracts let 
			 2001-02 1,076,400 14 
			 2002-03 1,320,000 16 
			 2003-04 1,370,100 13 
			 2004-05 1,125,700 16 
			 2005-06 1,005,200 16 
			 2006-07 1,859,700 17

Departmental Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table outlines cost of departmental advertising in the last full fiscal year for which completed records are available, 2006-07.
	
		
			  Departmental advertising campaigns expenditure summary for 2006-07 
			  Campaign  2006-07 (£ million) 
			 Alcohol (Department of Health (DH) contribution to campaign run jointly with the Home Office (HO)) 1.90 
			 Child Immunisation 1.97 
			 Drugs (DH contribution to campaign run jointly with the HO) 3.13 
			 Flu 1.16 
			 Hepatitis C 0.53 
			 Immunisation 2.80 
			 Maternal and Infant Nutrition/Breastfeeding 0.73 
			 NHS Direct 0.32 
			 Pandemic Flu Preparedness (Standby Materials) 0.57 
			 Teenage Pregnancy (DH contribution to campaign run jointly with Department for Children, the Schools and Families) 2.00 
			 Sexual Health 7.30 
			 Social care / worker recruitment 2.69 
			 Smoking 21.53 
			 5 a Day 0.92

Departmental Sustainable Development

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is on course to meet the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate targets to  (a) source at least 10 per cent. of its electricity from renewables by 31 March 2008 and  (b) increase recycling figures to 40 per cent. of waste by 2010.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has, since 2004-05, purchased 100 per cent. of the electricity for its main London administrative estate from renewable sources.
	In 2005-06, 91 per cent. of the waste removed from our London administrative estate was recycled.
	 Notes:
	1. The figure represents waste removed from our five London buildings (Skipton House, Wellington House, Richmond House, Eileen House, Hannibal House). It excludes waste removed from Quarry House, Leeds (building managed on behalf of Department for Work and Pensions). It also excludes redundant information technology equipment.
	2. The recycling figures differ from those quoted in the 2006 "Sustainable Development in Government" report, which include waste removed from sites occupied by our two executive agencies, NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency, and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Departmental Travel

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on travel  (a) within and  (b) outside the UK for officials in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of his Department's overall expenditure was spent on such travel in each such year.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2000-01 the Department moved to resource-based accounting, so the information provided has been restricted to the period 2000-01 to 2006-07. During this period the Department spent approximately 2.25 per cent. of its administrative budget on travel. This information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   UK travel spend (£)  Overseas travel spend (£)  Percentage of departmental admin costs 
			 2006-07 4,272,127 190,704 2 
			 2005-06 4,883,804 942,076 2 
			 2004-05 3,770,537 250,257 1 
			 2003-04 7,217,286 503,351 3 
			 2002-03 6,779,266 410,130 3 
			 2001-02 7,121,249 425,580 3 
			 2000-01 6,586,987 361,411 3

Departmental Written Questions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's internal guidance on answering Questions tabled by hon. Members.

Ben Bradshaw: In accordance with the ministerial code, Ministers are accountable for their answers to parliamentary questions. The Department follows Cabinet Office guidance in its handling of such questions.

Depressive Illnesses

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with depression in England in each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: Approximately 90 per cent. of people with a mental health problem are treated in primary care. Information is not collected centrally about diagnoses for any condition in primary care, so data are not available in this format.

Diamorphine

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of UK demand for diamorphine has been met by the NHS's normal suppliers in each of the last five years; how shortfalls in supply have been addressed; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The supply picture for diamorphine injection (ampoules) for the national health service in England for the years 2002 to 2006 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Diamorphine injection supplied by year: England: hospital and community 
			  Units in thousands 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 l0 mg (total) 1,218 1,271 1,275 552 682 
			 l00 mg (total) 410 440 451 169 141 
			 30 mg (total) 839 872 908 408 557 
			 5 mg (total) 1,366 1,448 1,444 496 218 
			 500 mg (total) 30 37 29 20 22 
		
	
	In March 2007 the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) estimated the following availabilities, against historic demand, by strength:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 5 mg 26 
			 10 mg 84 
			 30 mg 100 
			 100 mg 31 
			 500 mg 100 
		
	
	A combination of the analyses highlights that there has been a significant recovery in the supply of 10 mg and 30 mg strengths against historic demand.
	However, prescribing of these two strengths has not returned to original levels and there has been an excess in the supply of these strengths against current demand as a result.
	In the case of the 5 mg and l00 mg strengths the supply position has not recovered. There is an ongoing shortage of these strengths and it is not possible to estimate true current demand as a result.
	When the shortage of diamorphine first arose in December 2004, the remaining supplier immediately increased its production, and the Department took steps to ensure that adequate supplies of alternative painkillers were available. In addition, the Department issued an alert to the national health service via the chief medical officers cascade system, warning health care professionals about the shortage and advising them to avoid wastage, and to consider alternative painkillers wherever possible and reserve diamorphine supplies for those patients whose need was greatest. Both suppliers are now fully in production. The supply situation improved during 2007, and is expected to continue doing so during 2008.

Disabled: Computers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided for people with disabilities to assist them with learning to use computers in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has not collected separate statistics on how much funding it provides for specific groups to assist them with learning to use computers since 2001. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	As part of the overall funding of the Government's e-learning strategy, funding was used to create infrastructure and was aimed at sectors such as further education and institutions such as colleges. The main thrust was to put technology in place, to develop the content of e-learning materials, including adaptations to enable ease of access by disabled people, and to develop staff to use technology with different groups. This has led to projects designed to support the effective use of computers by vulnerable groups such as disabled people.
	For example, between 2004 and 2006 the Learning and Skills Council and the Joint Information Systems Committee provided £250,000 supporting 27 projects in specialist colleges designed to increase confidence and motivation among disabled learners and create innovative technical solutions to meet individual needs, including learners with complex disabilities.
	Until 2005 the then Department for Education and Skills partly funded two national Aids to Communication in Education centres supporting learners with learning disabilities with grants of approximately £400,000 per year. These centres still exist and are self-financing.
	My Department does recognise how important it is for disabled people to use computers effectively, and a number of projects have been established to improve usage and give disabled people the confidence and skills to use all forms of information and computer technology (ICT) effectively. As part of its responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, my Department ensures that its delivery partners are working to eliminate discrimination and this includes ensuring access to technology.

Drugs: Advisory Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of calls to the national drugs helpline which have been unanswered as a consequence of staff shortages in each year since the helpline's inception.

Dawn Primarolo: The national drugs helpline ceased in England in March 2003 and was replaced by the FRANK helpline in April 2003.
	The Central Office of Information (COI) advises that FRANK has received 2,114,533 telephone calls since its inception as at 31 December 2007. A total of 1,818,497 of those telephone calls were answered.
	COI advise that overall there are no problems regarding staff shortages. Calls which are unanswered are as a consequence of callers who may hang up before speaking to a live adviser or who are routed to an interactive voice response system.
	Anticipated demand can be exceeded owing to unknown media activity—something relating to drugs appears on television or in the national daily press and the FRANK helpline number is quoted. In these instances, staffing levels are increased to cope with the peak according to their availability. However, despite this, there may be occasions when response performance varies.

General Practitioners

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates representatives from his Department have met representatives of general practitioners to discuss changes to the quality and outcomes framework in the last six months.

Ben Bradshaw: NHS Employers conduct negotiations on the General Medical Services Contract with the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association. Officials from the Department are not normally present. Within the last six months, an official from the Department of Health attended only one meeting of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) Negotiating Sub Group, on 23 August 2007 as an observer. Wider meetings between Department officials and representatives of the GPC do also take place regularly but not specifically to discuss changes to the QOF.

General Practitioners

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to enable people to register with a GP practising outside the primary care trust area in which they live.

Ben Bradshaw: Regulations allow a practice to accept a person living outside its boundary on to its list of national health service patients if it wishes to do so. In accepting a patient, a practice has obligations to provide certain services such as home visits. If the practice is unable to fulfil this obligation, it is a reasonable ground to refuse a person living outside a practice area.

General Practitioners

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hours per week GPs spent on practice-based commissioning in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not routinely collect information centrally on the number of hours per week general practitioners spend on practice-based commissioning.

General Practitioners

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to increase the number of open GP lists.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts will only grant a general practitioner practice closed list-status once both parties have made reasonable endeavours to keep the list open and the conclusion is that this is not possible.
	The Department is currently exploring, as part of the Next Stages Review being undertaken by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Darzi), whether further action is needed to better ensure patients have more choice of practices with which to register.

General Practitioners: Finance

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely financial impact on GP surgeries of the removal of funding for choice and booking and access to directed enhanced services; and if he will provide financial support for surgeries which are adversely affected.

Ben Bradshaw: In each of the last two years, primary care trusts have invested £158 million, equating to an average £19,000 per practice, to fund the Access and Choice Directed Enhanced Services. It was always intended that these schemes would end on 31 March 2008. This money will be available to support PCTs and practices in agreeing improvement in patient access to their general practice.
	Under proposals put to the General Practitioner Committee this money would be used by PCTs to pay general practices for providing extended opening of 30 minutes per week for every 1,000 patients on their list size. There would be no compulsion placed on practices to do this, but should an average GP practice of 6,000 patients take it up and provide the expected minimum three extended hours per week, it could expect to receive £19,000 per year. When practices choose not to provide such services to their patients, this money will not be available to them.

General Practitioners: Standards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the overall cost to the public purse in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08 of reviewing the quality and outcomes framework.

Ben Bradshaw: NHS Employers are funded by the Department to take forward negotiations with the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association on changes to the General Medical Services Contract. Funding is not identified separately for the review of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) except for a contract for a period of three years starting from April 2006 to commission an independent expert panel to advise on the review of the QOF. The total value of the contract for the three-year period is £799,364 (excluding VAT).

Health and Social Care Services: Autism

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms his Department has to ensure the continuity of health and social care services provided for children with autism and Asperger's syndrome as they make the transition to adulthood.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is the lead Department on transition from children's to adult services, and on social care for children. However, the Department of Health launched good practice guidance at a conference in March 2006, "Transition: getting it right for young people", a copy of which is available in the Library. The same good practice guidance as applies to children with autistic spectrum disorders applies to those with any other condition. The 2007 report, "Aiming High for Disabled Children" proposed a transition support programme for 14 to 19-year-olds and DCSF has allocated £19 million to pilot arrangements.

Health Services: Cuba

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will visit Cuba to assess best practice in biotechnology and health facilities in that country.

Dawn Primarolo: We are aware of the considerable work my hon. Friend has done with Cuba through his chairmanship of the all-Party Parliamentary Group. However, owing to other commitments, Ministers have no plans to visit Cuba at the present time.

Health Services: Private Sector

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to promote the involvement and consultation of patients and the public who receive NHS services through the third sector and the independent sector.

Ann Keen: Under section 242 of the National Health Service Act 2006, all NHS organisations are required to involve service users in the planning, development and operation of health services. This duty does not apply directly to third-sector and independent-sector organisations.
	NHS organisations which commission services from the third and independent sector must specify in their contractual arrangements that service users shall be systematically involved in the planning, development and operation of services, and that such involvement shall be evidenced and reported as part of contract performance.
	The involvement of users in services provided by third-sector and independent-sector organisations shall be developed and promoted in the forthcoming statutory guidance for section 242 to be published in the summer of 2008.

Health Services: Voluntary Work

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much West Sussex Primary Care Trust has spent on promoting volunteering in the local health service in the last two years;
	(2)  how many employees of West Sussex Primary Care Trust volunteer; and what the trust's policy is on facilitating volunteering.

Ivan Lewis: As these are matters for West Sussex primary care trust, the Department does not collect this information. The hon. Member may wish to approach the PCT directly for the details.

Heart Diseases: Cheshire

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to improve outcomes in coronary health care in  (a) Warrington and  (b) Cheshire in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, published in March 2000, set out a 10-year framework for action to prevent disease, tackle inequalities, save more lives, and improve the quality of life for people with heart disease. An estimated 178,000 lives have been saved since 1996.
	The target set out in "Our Healthier Nation" (OHN) to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke and related diseases) by 40 per cent. in people under 75 by 2010 has been met five years early. The mortality rate has fallen by 40.3 per cent. between 2004-06 over the 1995-97 baseline.
	Inequalities in the death rate from heart disease, stroke and related diseases among the under-75s have been narrowing for the past eight years, and we are on track to meet a 40 per cent. reduction target in the gap by 2010. The death rate has reduced by 32 per cent. since 1995-97.
	In 1997 the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease was 69,133 but by 2005 this figure fell to 42,886, a reduction of over 26,000 deaths per year.
	The initiatives outlined above such as the National Service Framework and the targets in OHN will have had an impact across both Cheshire and Warrington, as well as nationally.
	In addition, a £600 million programme of hospital building is continuing to provide new or expanded cardiac facilities in the places where they are most needed. There has been a £125 million investment in improved diagnostic and treatment facilities (combined departmental and national lottery fund money) which has supported the building and equipping of 90 new or replacement catheterisation laboratories in England, increasing the capacity previously available by more than 50 per cent.
	More locally, a new cardiac catheter laboratory was opened at the Warrington general hospital in January 2006. The hospital also has a dedicated eight-bed coronary care unit providing monitoring and urgent treatment for patients with acute coronary conditions.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on links between cardiac arrest survival rates and the time taken for the patient to reach a hospital.

Ann Keen: The Department has neither commissioned nor evaluated research on links between cardiac arrest survival rates and the time taken for the patient to reach hospital.
	The national service framework for coronary heart disease and other guidance in this area is based on the best available evidence, and departmental policy recognises the importance of ensuring that an emergency ambulance response reaches the patient as quickly as possible. The ambulance response time target for calls to people with potentially life-threatening illnesses and conditions (which includes cardiac arrest) is for 75 per cent. of cases to be responded to within eight minutes irrespective of location.
	For heart attack (blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot which may lead to a cardiac arrest if not treated quickly), the Department has not commissioned research, but research results have been taken into account in the formulation of policy on heart attack treatment. There is accumulating evidence that angioplasty leads to better longer-term outcomes than clot-busting drugs even if it takes longer to deliver.

Hospital Beds

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 643W, on hospital beds, if he will investigate the discharges of patients from Hampshire hospitals into the community.

Ivan Lewis: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population. It is for Hampshire hospitals and the PCTs that commission their services to ensure that patients are appropriately discharged into the community.
	More generally, on 1 October 2007 the NHS implemented the National Framework for Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care which contains guidance on assessing the care needs of patients. If a full assessment for continuing healthcare is required, it must be completed before discharge from hospital can proceed.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of one-off deep cleaning of hospitals in preventing the spread of healthcare-associated infections.

Ann Keen: As set out in the written ministerial statement on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 38-39WS, following completion of the deep clean of the national health service on 31 March 2008, the Department will work with strategic health authorities (SHAs) to draw up examples of where a deep clean has had a demonstrable effect in improving patient care and experience, and will share these across the NHS.
	SHAs will take the lead on evaluation locally as the impact of each trust's programme will be different and no single measurement method will pick up all the benefits, particularly as trusts may be implementing a range of measures to improve cleanliness and tackle healthcare-associated infections.
	Improvements in patient experience and environment may be measurable through
	Patient Environment Action Team scores;
	scores on National Specifications for Cleanliness;
	compliance with the "Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections";
	compliance with Department of Health national core standards;
	health care Commission in-patient survey scores; and
	infection rates.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risk of airborne transmission of infectious diseases, such as MRSA and clostridium difficile in hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This reply only covers methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and  Clostridium  difficile ( C.  difficile).
	The available evidence for MRSA and  C. difficile is that the main route of transmission is via inadequately cleaned hands, hence the Department's focus on good hand hygiene and cleaning (especially of frequently touched areas). There is little evidence to suggest that airborne exposure is a significant transmission route. The Department continues to monitor any new evidence and is aware of some evaluations of air decontamination systems that are ongoing in national health service settings, the results of which will be reviewed when they are available.

Influenza: Vaccination

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners aged 65 years and over received free influenza inoculations in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since it became available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is shown in the following table by the relevant health trust or authority, as this is how the data are collected.
	
		
			  Vaccination uptake among the 65 years and over for South Tyneside, North East and England by year (2000-06) 
			  Area  Total persons aged 65 and over vaccinated  Total percentage uptake 
			  2000-01   
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside health authority (HA) 42,093 68.2 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Region 638,013 66.8 
			 England 4,820,239 65.4 
			
			  2001-02   
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 43,421 70.0 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Region 706,899 69.8 
			 England 5,135,760 67.7 
			
			  2002-03   
			 South Tyneside Primary Care Trusts (PCT) 19,480 70.2 
			 North East Region Strategic Health   
			 Authority (SHA) 376635 71.1 
			 England 5,487,645 68.5 
			
			  2003-04   
			 South Tyneside PCT 20,274 72.7 
			 North East Region SHA 387,600 72.9 
			 England 5,788,875 71.0 
			
			  2004-05   
			 South Tyneside PCT 19,632 71.9 
			 North East Region SHA 394,859 73.3 
			 England 4,651,315 71.5 
			
			  2005-06   
			 South Tyneside PCT 21,192 76.9 
			 North East Region SHA 413,718 76.8 
			 England 6,122,744 75.3 
			
			  2006-07   
			 South Tyneside PCT 20,803 76.0 
			 North East Region SHA 312,689 76.0 
			 England 5,779,145 73.9 
			  Note: Uptake figures based on general practitioner practices returning data to the survey and reflect vaccine uptake for individuals vaccinated at these premises  Source: Health Protection Informatics (HPI) web based reporting site Influenza Immunisation Uptake Monitoring Programme Health Protection Agency/Department of Health

Kent

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds in the form of  (a) revenue payments,  (b) capital grants and  (c) supported borrowing for which his Department is responsible have been made available to (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2007-08.

Ivan Lewis: No grants have been made from the Department to district councils (Thanet district council and Dover district council). The following table lists the funds, separated into revenue payments, capital grants and supported borrowing, provided by the Department to Kent county council in 2007-08. Local authorities (LAs) were notified of these grants through relevant LA social services letters and circulars.
	
		
			  Kent 2007-08 
			  £ million 
			  Revenue Funding  
			 Access and Systems Capacity 13.386 
			 AIDS support 0.182 
			 Child and adolescent mental health services grant 1.780 
			 Carers grant 4.353 
			 Emergency respite care (additional to carers grant) 0.588 
			 Commission for Social Care inspection reimbursement grant 0.017 
			 Delayed discharges 2.477 
			 Human resources development strategy 1.082 
			 Mental health grant 2.870 
			 National training strategy 2.335 
			 Partnerships for older people pilots 1.500 
			 Preserved rights grant 12.217 
			 Preventative technology grant 1.245 
			 Mental Capacity Act training 0.102 
			 Independent mental capacity advocate 0.153 
			 Mental Capacity Act general 0.089 
			 Local involvement networks 0.010 
			 The National Healthy Schools Programme(1, 2) 0.261 
			 Total 44.648 
			   
			  Capital Grants  
			 Improving information management 0.479 
			 Dignity in care 1.895 
			 Total 2.374 
			   
			  Supported Borrowing  
			 Adults social care 0.816 
			 Mental Health 0.382 
			 Total 1.198 
			  Notes: 1. The National Healthy Schools Programme is delivered through the Standards Fund, for which the Department of Health provides the majority of funding but the Department for Children, Schools and Families also contributes. 2. The funding is to local healthy schools partnerships, so is to be shared by LAs with partner primary care trusts.

Leukaemia: Drugs

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has held with Surrey Primary Care Trust on making available the treatments  (a) dasatinib and  (b) nilotinib to patients with imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia;
	(2)  what representations he has received in the last 12 months on the issue of the availability of access to  (a) dasatinib and  (b) nilotinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia; how many representations were received from (i) clinicians, (ii) patients and (iii) others; what the content was of the representations; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department has held no discussions with Surrey primary care trust on making available the treatments dasatinib and nilotinib to patients with imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) locally to decide whether to make these treatments available to patients.
	The Department has received various correspondence from clinicians, patients and others about dasatinib and nilotinib. This correspondence mainly raises issues of access to dasatinib and nilotinib and the possibility of their appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo), is minded to refer dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia as part of the 17th wave of referrals to NICE. NICE has consulted with stakeholders on the remits and scopes for this appraisal. The Minister of State will make a final decision on whether to refer the topic to NICE following the outcome of NICE's consultation.

Leukaemia: Drugs

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the variations between primary care trust areas in patients' ability to access the treatments  (a) dasatinib and  (b) nilotinib for imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Ann Keen: No assessment has been made of the variations between primary care trust areas in patients' ability to access the treatments dasatinib and nilotinib for imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia.
	However, Ministers are minded to refer dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as part of the 17th work programme. NICE has consulted stakeholders on the remits and scopes for this appraisal. Ministers will make a final decision on whether to refer the topic to NICE following the outcome of NICE's consultation.

Lighting: Health Hazards

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect of compact fluorescent lightbulbs on people suffering from Meniere's disease.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 February 2008
	 The Department has not commissioned any research on the effects of compact fluorescent light bulbs on those living with Meniere's disease.

Maternity Services: Finance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the NHS budget was spent on maternity services in 2006-07.

Ann Keen: holding answer 20 February 2008
	Estimates of national health service expenditure on maternity and reproductive health are available from programme budgeting returns. In the 2006-07 financial year, estimated gross NHS expenditure on maternity and reproductive health was £2.9 billion, accounting for 3.5 per cent. of total expenditure.

NHS

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) hospitals and  (b) NHS organisations Ministers in his Department have visited since taking up their posts.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Minister  Hospitals  NHS organisations 
			 Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson)(1) 25 11 
			 Minister of State for Health Services (Ben Bradshaw)(1) 11 13 
			 Minister of State for Public Health (Dawn Primarolo)(1) 0 9 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Services (Ann Keen)(1) 12 9 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care Services (Ivan Lewis)(2) 9 3 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Darzi)(1) 12 9 
			 (1 )Between taking up post in June 2007 and February 2008 (2 )Between taking up post in June 2006 and February 2008

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 525W, on NHS finance, how much of the difference referred to is accounted for by  (a) the transfer of impairments to annually managed expenditure and  (b) latest forecast technical underspends on non-cash;
	(2)  what methodology is used by his Department to establish its Spending Review baseline.

Ben Bradshaw: In line with the treatment of all baselines in the comprehensive spending review, the resource baseline for the national health service was set at the level of expected spend excluding exceptional, time limited and one-off items.
	As a result, £250 million was transferred from the NHS Departmental Expenditure Limit to NHS Annually Managed Expenditure of funding for impairments. The forecast technical underspend was £560 million.
	In addition, the NHS DEL was increased by £60 million to reflect an in-year transfer of funding responsibility from personal social services.

NHS: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much loan interest  (a) West Sussex Primary Care Trust and  (b) each of the hospital trusts in West Sussex paid back to the NHS in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on interest paid on loans by primary care trusts is not collected centrally.
	The following table sets out the interest paid by national health service trusts in Sussex in 2006-07. Information for earlier years was not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Interest paid on loans by NHS trusts in Sussex, 2006-07 
			  NHS trust  £000 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals 39 
			 East Sussex Hospitals 5 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare 68 
			 The Royal West Sussex 29 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals 0 
			 Sussex Partnership 0 
			  Note: This information was not collected prior to 2006-07.  Source: Audited summarisation schedules of the NHS trusts 2006-07.

NHS: Public Participation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the amount of work undertaken by  (a) community health councils,  (b) patient involvement forums and  (c) local involvement networks.

Ann Keen: The rationale for arrangements to strengthen the voice of local people is to widen and broaden people's influence over their services, rather than to reflect the amount or quality of the work undertaken by Community Health Councils (CHCs) and patient and public involvement (PPI) forums.
	We know from listening to people during the review of patient and public involvement that more people want to have a greater say about their local services. It is no longer appropriate to have a PPI system which is based around scrutiny of individual services. The new local involvement networks will be able to consider both health and social care, so that PPI can be joined up across the entire patient journey. Crucially, we want more people involved having influence in different ways according to their lifestyle, experience and skills. We will build on the existing experience and knowledge from patients' forums.

NHS: Public Participation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the former community health councils and their corresponding patient forums and local involvement networks.

Ann Keen: There were 184 Community Health Councils and in the main they reflected local authority boundaries, although there were a number of exceptions to this rule.
	There is no direct correlation between the areas covered by CHCs and patient and public involvement forums, as forums relate to national health service organisations rather than to a specific geographical area.
	There will be 150 local involvement networks corresponding exactly to the number of local authorities with social services responsibilities.

NHS: Recruitment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of advertisements for IT jobs in the NHS specified that the applicant needed NHS IT experience in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 February 2008
	NHS Jobs does not collect information on the content of individual vacancy listings.

Obstetrics: Screening

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of adding screening for vasa praevia to standard prenatal testing;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the feasibility of adding screening for vasa praevia to standard prenatal testing;
	(3)  how many people died from vasa praevia in each year since 2001.

Ann Keen: holding answer 22 February 2008
	 Routine screening for vasa praevia is not available in hospitals in England. This is because it is a technically difficult condition to detect, even for a highly skilled ultrasonographer with the appropriate specialist equipment (for example, a colour Doppler scanner). Therefore, routine screening for vasa praevia is not currently advocated by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) or recommended by the National Screening Committee (NSC). Should the RCOG change its advice we will consider this and refer it to the NSC.
	The total number of deaths involving mention of vasa praevia on the death certificate in England and Wales for 2001 to 2005 (the most recent years for which figures are available) is shown in the following table.
	All these deaths were in neonates—that is, babies under 28 days of age:
	
		
			   Neonatal deaths 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for 2001-05 were extracted using the International Classification of Diseases ICD 10th revision code P02.6 2. The database of deaths in England and Wales was searched for deaths in 2001-05 with any mention of the ICD-10 codes 069.4, 'Labour and delivery complicated by vasa praevia' (maternal code) or P02.6 'Fetus and Newborn affected by other and unspecified conditions of umbilical cord'. The text of the certificates with P02.6 was then searched for the term 'vasa praevia'. 3. Data on stillbirths have not been included.  Source: Office for National Statistics

Organs: Donors

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the difference between the reported rates of public support for organ donation and outcomes in securing organ donations; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Research carried out by UK Transplant in 2003 showed that 90 per cent. of people state their support for organ donation, but only 25 per cent. of people register on the Organ Donor Register. In its first report, the Organ Donation Taskforce placed great emphasis on understanding the reasons for this, along with the relatively high levels of family refusal to donation and this will be reflected during the implementation phase. The Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) has asked the Taskforce to continue its work in order to look at the potential impact of a system of presumed consent for organ donation.

Palliative Care: Children

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been included in primary care trust allocations for 2008-09 in order to enable them to meet the new children's palliative care strategy in (i) building a sustainable service of palliative care networks, including children's hospice services and (ii) supporting community nursing teams; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: General allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) are not broken down into funding for individual services. It is for PCTs to decide how best to resource the priorities set out in the national health service operating framework for 2008-09.
	Section two of the operating framework under 'Priorities' states
	"disabled children: identifying actions and setting local targets on improving the experience of, and ranges of services for, children with disabilities and complex health needs and their families. This includes significantly increasing the range of short breaks, improving the quality and experience of palliative care services, improving access to therapies and supporting effective transition to adult services."
	On 19 February, we launched the first ever national strategy for children's palliative care, 'Better Care: Better Lives'. The strategy will assist local commissioners, providers and regulators in devising local strategies to enable every child and young person with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition access to high-quality, family- centred, sustainable care and support with services provided in a setting of choice according to the child's and family's wishes. It sets out clear expectations for improving choice, access and continuity of care, and seeks to place palliative care at the centre of local children's service provision.
	We also announced an additional £20 million in funding to enable the children's hospices and hospice at home grant to continue in 2009-10 and 2010-11 with £10 million available in each year.

Patient Choice Schemes

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hours per week GPs spent using the Choose and Book system in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information centrally on the number of hours per week that general practitioners spend using Choose and Book.
	Benchmarked timings have been published showing the average length of time taken to use Choose and Book when it is correctly configured:
	to log on to the system takes about 9 seconds;
	to generate an appointment request takes about 38 seconds; or
	to book an appointment takes 47 seconds.
	These times are how long it takes the computers to respond, and do not take into account the time required for the clinical and booking conversation that is needed with the patient.

Post-Mortems: Children

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many post-mortem examinations were carried out on children aged between five and 15 years in each coroner's district in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. The Office for National Statistics collects data on the deaths of children in England aged between five and 15 years where a post-mortem examination has been carried out. It is not broken down by coroner's district. The information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Death registrations in England by post mortem type, ages 5 to 15( 1) 
			   Post mortem authorised by a coroner  Post mortem authorised by a doctor  Not known by whom post mortem authorised 
			 2006 493 22 4 
			 2005 533 18 5 
			 2004 507 18 1 
			 2003 579 19 2 
			 2002 571 25 4 
			 (1) Data from the Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	Information is not collected centrally on how many of those post-mortem examinations were carried out by paediatric pathologists.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of multi-disciplinary teams for urological cancer.

Ann Keen: Information about the effectiveness of individual urology multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) can be found within local cancer network peer review reports. These are in the public domain and can be accessed on the Cancer Quality Improvement Networks System website at:
	www.cquins.nhs.uk/published_reviews.php
	A national overview of the findings from the recent round of cancer peer review (2004-07) is due to be published shortly. This will include summary information about urology MDTs.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the post-operative mortality rate for radical prostatectomy  (a) in total and  (b) broken down by strategic health authority area.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations his Department has received from  (a) patients and  (b) clinicians on treating prostate cancer on the NHS in the last six months; what the content of these representations was; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The main forum through which patients and clinicians make representations to the Department of Health is the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group (PCAG). As part of our commitment to working in partnership, the Government welcomed the establishment of the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action in January 2003 and acted upon its call to establish the PCAG, chaired by Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director. The overall remit of the PCAG is to facilitate collaboration between the Department, the voluntary sector and patient and professional groups to advise Ministers, the National Cancer Director and the Department on the development of policy on prostate cancer.
	The PCAG last met on 26 June 2007, and treatment issues discussed were:
	progress on the Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS);
	the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on "prostate cancer: diagnosis and treatment";
	the pilot multi-disciplinary team training programme;
	brachytherapy;
	implementation of the NICE improving outcomes guidance (IOG) on urological cancers and
	NICE cancer drug appraisals.
	The PCAG is next due to meet on 18 March 2008, following publication of the NICE clinical guideline "Prostate cancer: diagnosis and treatment".
	I met representatives of the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action on 7 November 2007, and treatment issues discussed were the important role of cancer nurse specialists, patient experience, the Career Research Society and clinical outcomes data.
	In addition, since 1 August 2007, the Department has received 57 items of correspondence from patients and clinicians on a wide variety of subjects relating to prostate cancer. Since 6 November 2007, the Department has received 26 parliamentary questions on prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of specialist urological cancer teams in England.

Ann Keen: There were over 100 urology local teams and over 50 urology specialist teams in England at the time of the 2004-07 round of the national cancer peer review.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) consultant urologists and  (b) consultant oncologists he estimates have expertise in urological cancers.

Ann Keen: Data are not collected centrally on the number of urologists and oncologists specialising in urological cancers.
	The last work force census showed that as of 30 September 2006, there were 510 consultants working in urology and 482 consultants working in clinical oncology.
	There are 1,556 extra cancer consultants since 1997 (a 49.3 per cent. increase) and 3,341 (65.7 per cent.) extra consultants in other specialties who spend a significant amount of their time caring for cancer patients.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of prostate cancer patients had prostate cancer diagnosed at  (a) clinical stage I or II,  (b) clinical stage III and  (c) clinical stage IV in the latest period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the way in which these proportions have changed over time.

Ann Keen: The Department does not publish statistics on the stages at which prostate cancer is diagnosed. The "Cancer Reform Strategy", published last December, highlights the need to collect and use high quality data on clinical outcomes with adjustments for stage of disease. Part of the new National Cancer Intelligence Network's work will be, in due course, to co-ordinate the collection and analysis of this data.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer networks have a  (a) lead clinician,  (b) nurse director and  (c) service improvement lead for the Improving Outcomes Guidance for urological cancers.

Ann Keen: In terms of the "Improving Outcomes in Urological Cancers" guidance, posts would be at multidisciplinary team (MDT) rather than cancer network level. The most recent round of peer review (2004-07) found that for urological cancer:
	100 per cent. and 99 per cent. of local and specialist urological cancer MDTs had a lead clinician respectively;
	96 per cent. and 100 per cent. of local and specialist urological cancer MDTs had a clinical nurse specialist respectively; and
	92 per cent. and 96 per cent. of local and specialist urological cancer MDTs had service improvement leads respectively.

Seroxat

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for Seroxat were issued by general practitioners in England from 1997 to 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not hold information on prescriptions issued by general practitioners.

South Central Ambulance NHS Trust: Vacancies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) operational and  (b) non-operational posts are vacant in the Buckinghamshire division of South Central Ambulance NHS Trust;
	(2)  how many members of staff have resigned from  (a) operational and  (b) non-operational posts in the Buckinghamshire division of South Central Ambulance NHS Trust since its inception;
	(3)  how many members of staff there are in  (a) operational and  (b) non-operational posts in the Buckinghamshire division of South Central Ambulance NHS Trust;
	(4)  how many members of staff in  (a) operational and  (b) non-operational posts are on sick leave in the Buckinghamshire division of South Central Ambulance NHS Trust.

Ann Keen: holding answer 21 February 2008
	The requested information on the number of staff on sick leave, and the number of staff who have resigned is not collected centrally. These are matters for South Central Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust, and the hon. Member may wish to approach the Chief Executive of the Trust for this information.
	Information on number of staff in post, and number of vacant posts is not available in the requested format. Information is held at NHS trust level, and is provided in the following tables, for all categories of staff at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Latest available information is for September 2006 and March 2007.
	
		
			  Staff in the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust by main staff group and level as at 30 September 2006 
			  South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust  headcount 
			 Total 2,141 
			   
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 972 
			 Qualified nursing staff 2 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 1 
			 Manager 63 
			 Emergency care practitioner 26 
			 Ambulance paramedic 462 
			 Ambulance technician 418 
			   
			 Support to ambulance staff 923 
			 Ambulance personnel 372 
			 Trainee ambulance technician 91 
			 Healthcare assistant 5 
			 Clerical and administrative 347 
			 Support worker 103 
			 Estates (maintenance and works, ambulances) 5 
			   
			 NHS infrastructure support 246 
			 Central functions, clerical and administrative 88 
			 Property and Estates, clerical and administrative 3 
			 Estates (maintenance and works, buildings etc) 46 
			 Senior managers 28 
			 Manager 81 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. 
		
	
	
		
			  NHS three month vacancies in South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust as at March 2007 
			 Total 7 
			 Healthcare assistants and support staff within local delivery plan definition 0 
			 Other healthcare assistants 0 
			 Administrative and clerical staff 7 
			 Ambulance staff 0 
			  Notes: 1. Vacancy data is from the Vacancies Survey 2007. 2. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2007. 3. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents). 4. Vacancy numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.   Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Strokes: Rehabilitation

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve access to speech and language therapy for people with communication difficulties following strokes; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The National Stroke Strategy published last December sets out the vision for modernising services and delivering the newest treatments for stroke. The strategy makes clear that people who have had strokes should be able to access high-quality rehabilitation and receive support from stroke-skilled services as soon as possible after they have had a stroke, available in hospital, immediately after transfer from hospital and for as long as they need it. Stroke care networks are being developed to provide support for service providers and commissioners locally to improve the services they offer.
	The national health service has the resources to fund these changes to stroke services, having seen record levels of investment and a period of significant expansion in the workforce. There has been a 36 per cent. increase in the number of speech and language therapists (SLTs) working in the NHS, bringing the total to 6,623 (NHS staff census September 2006 headcount). The number of SLTs entering training has increased by 65 per cent. since 1998-99. We acknowledge the significant value of SLTs in the management of swallowing, speech and communication disorders following a stroke. In addition we have announced spending proposals totalling £105 million to provide national support for implementation of the National Stroke Strategy.

Suicide: Drugs

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of those who committed suicide were taking the drug roaccutane at the time of their death in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: In the United Kingdom, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) runs the Yellow Card Scheme. This scheme allows health professionals and patients to report suspected adverse drug reactions, which include suicides, on a voluntary basis. Over the last five years a total of 15 suspected adverse drug reactions of suicide have been reported in association with isotretinoin (Roaccutane) through this scheme. It is important to note that a report of an adverse drug reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Other factors such as an underlying illness or other medicines may have contributed. Severe acne itself is known to be associated with an increased risk of depressive illness.
	The safety of isotretinoin has been closely monitored by the MHRA since it was approved in 1983. The benefits of isotretinoin in the treatment of acne are considered to outweigh the risk of adverse effects by regulatory authorities throughout Europe and worldwide.
	Warnings about the risk of depression and suicidal behaviour were added to the product information for prescribers and patients in 1998. These warnings have been strengthened following a European review of the isotretinoin product information and most recently the 'Roaccutane Patient Information Leaflet' has been subject to user testing to ensure that the information, including that about risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour, is clear, comprehensive and understandable.

Surgery: Private Sector

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private operations were carried out in NHS premises in 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not have exact figures on private operations but we do collect information on finished consultant episodes (FCEs). FCEs are different from operations because they also include other interventions such as high-cost drug treatments, diagnostic imaging, testing and rehabilitation. The latest figure is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Private FCEs carried out in national health service premises 
			   Number 
			 2006-07 89,328 
			  Notes: 1. An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. 2. Data excludes a small proportion of invalid data.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Working Parties

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2007,  Official Report, column 283W, on working parties, what  (a) working parties,  (b) task forces and  (c) steering groups were set up by his Department in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not routinely collected information centrally on working parties, task forces and steering groups. It would incur disproportionate cost to seek to identify this information retrospectively. The survey referred to in the reply given on 26 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 263-64W was a one-off project, carried out in autumn 2006 which identified over 200 extant working parties which engaged stakeholders. For a list of those groups and the survey questions I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1009W, to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley). The Department is planning to improve its information systems so that knowledge of working groups is captured routinely as a by-product of day-to-day work.

Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority: Finance

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected financial outturn of the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority is for 2007-08.

Ann Keen: holding answer 22 February 2008
	 At the second quarter of 2007-08, the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority is forecasting a financial year-end surplus of £271.5 million.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to tackle community tensions since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: 'Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society: The Government's strategy to increase race equality and community cohesion' (published in 2005) and its related two annual progress reports set out some of the steps that the Government have taken since 1997 to tackle community tensions that can undermine community cohesion—for example, in their work with partners to monitor tensions and provide support for local areas experiencing particular challenges. More recently 'The Government's Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion' (published in February 2008) provides a new clarity on, and commitment to, delivering cohesive and integrated communities. This includes a commitment to the new public service agreement 21 to build cohesive, empowered and active communities; increased investment in community cohesion; and a commitment to establish specialist cohesion teams to provide advice and support to local authorities facing cohesion challenges.

Debt Collection: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public request to order disposal applications have been received by the Government.

Parmjit Dhanda: Available records show that since 1997 the Government have received 42 public requests to order disposal under Section 98 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. Of these, 37 have been received since 2004.

Debt Collection: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken on the public request to order disposal applications made in relation to Prescott Villas in Prescott Drive in Liverpool.

Parmjit Dhanda: In 2006 a notice was issued stating that the Secretary of State proposed to direct Liverpool city council to dispose of land at numbers 14, 16, 18 and 20 Prescott Drive. After consideration of the council's representations the decision was taken not to direct in respect of 20 Prescott Drive, as the council had by then disposed of its interest.
	In respect of 14, 16, and 18 Prescott Drive, the decision was taken not to direct at present, but it was decided that a notice of the proposal to direct should remain in place and be reviewed after 12 months (October 2007) in order to give the council time to resolve land issues, finalise redevelopment plans and make tangible progress towards the development of the land.
	In December 2007 Government office officials met with Liverpool city council to look at progress and consider whether a new notice should be issued. The Secretary of State will shortly be considering what further action to take.

Disabled Facilities Grants: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was awarded in disabled facilities grants in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2006-07; and what the average size of grant was in that period.

Iain Wright: In 2006-07 the Department awarded £693,000 to Newcastle upon Tyne city council to contribute to its disabled facilities grant (DFG) programme.
	Authorities submit data to the Department on DFG expenditure and the number of grants through the annual housing strategy statistical appendix (HSSA). The 2006-07 return is due to be published shortly. The latest available data are for 2005-06, where the average grant was £,500.

Fire Services: Buildings

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account her Department took of shift patterns in determining the size of regional fire control centres.

Parmjit Dhanda: None. Shift patterns have no material impact on the size of the Regional Control Centres. The size of the buildings was based primarily on the number of staff required to provide a resilient 24 hour operation.
	Shift patterns for regional control centre staff will be the responsibility of the eight regional Local Authority Control Companies and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).

Fire Services: Costs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons estimates of the cost of the FiReControl Project have varied between October 2005 and December 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The October 2005 cost estimate is taken from an options analysis which preceded the establishment of the FiReControl project. We have fully defined the business requirements and have a more detailed understanding of the solution and how it will be delivered. For example, lease agreements have been signed for the nine regional control buildings and the national IT infrastructures services contract has been awarded. Furthermore, there has been price inflation of around 10 per cent. since the options analysis was published in 2003.

Fire Services: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what factors she took into account in determining the grant award to  (a) North Yorkshire fire authority and  (b) Humberside fire authority for 2008-09 to 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The distribution of formula grant takes into account the relative needs and potential to raise income locally (resources) of an authority, relative to all other authorities providing the same service. It also contains a central allocation and a floor damping mechanism.
	For fire and rescue authorities, the needs component is measured through the Fire and Rescue Relative Needs Formula (RNF) and the Capital Finance RNF. The Fire and Rescue RNF takes into account the resident population, coastline, deprivation, high-risk sites, property and societal risk and community fire safety. The capital finance RNF takes into account assumed outstanding debt and supported capital expenditure (revenue).
	The resources element uses a measure of the council tax base (number of band D equivalent properties).
	The Government consulted on the formula grant distribution system between 17 July and 10 October 2007, and on the provisional grant settlements for the next three years from 6 December 2007 to 8 January 2008. I announced the 2008-09 and provisional 2009-10 and 2010-11 settlements on 24 January 2008. Within this, I confirmed that:
	 (a) North Yorkshire fire and rescue authority also receive £1.71 million, £1.5 million and £1.3 million from the floor damping mechanism in respective years. This will ensure that they receive increases of 1 per cent., 0.5 per cent. and 0.5 per cent. in grant on a like for like basis respectively; and
	 (b) Humberside fire authority also contribute £2.1 million, £1.5 million and £1 million to the floor damping mechanism in respective years. However, they receive increases of 5.8 per cent., 3.5 per cent. and 3.3 per cent. in grant on a like for like basis respectively.

Fire Services: Procurement

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what risk assessment her Department and Firebuy have undertaken of the decision to sign the integrated clothing project managed service contract; and what conclusions have been drawn.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 February 2008
	The fully managed service and purchase with managed services elements of the integrated clothing project contract are expected to be signed this month between the service provider and Firebuy Ltd. The purchase- only element of the contract was signed in October 2007. The decision to proceed to contract signature was made following a full assessment of the benefits and risks.

Fire Services: Retirement

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many ill-health retirements in the fire service there were between April and October  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007, broken down by fire authority.

Parmjit Dhanda: Available information, for the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Ill-health retirements in the fire service 2005-06 
			   Number 
			 Avon 10 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 
			 Cheshire 0 
			 Cleveland 3 
			 Cornwall 1 
			 County Durham and Darlington 5 
			 Cumbria 0 
			 Derbyshire 2 
			 Devon 6 
			 Dorset 7 
			 East Sussex 5 
			 Essex 20 
			 Gloucestershire 2 
			 Greater Manchester 8 
			 Hampshire 3 
			 Hereford and Worcester 4 
			 Hertfordshire 5 
			 Humberside 16 
			 Isle of Wight 1 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 Kent 7 
			 Lancashire 2 
			 Leicestershire 3 
			 Lincolnshire 5 
			 London 74 
			 Merseyside 16 
			 Norfolk 2 
			 North Yorkshire 8 
			 Northamptonshire 5 
			 Northumberland 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 14 
			 Oxfordshire 1 
			 Royal Berkshire 4 
			 Shropshire 1 
			 Somerset 3 
			 South Yorkshire 17 
			 Staffordshire 16 
			 Suffolk 1 
			 Surrey 1 
			 Tyne and Wear 13 
			 Warwickshire 5 
			 West Midlands 21 
			 West Sussex 0 
			 West Yorkshire 7 
			 Wiltshire 0 
			 England 332 
			  Source: Annual returns to Communities and Local Government.

Government Offices for the Regions: Manpower

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff are employed by the Government office for  (a) the east of England,  (b) the east midlands,  (c) London,  (d) the north-east,  (e) the north-west,  (f) the south-east,  (g) the south-west and  (h) Yorkshire and the Humber; what each office's expenditure was in each of the last five years; and what the total staffing cost was for each office in the last year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The staffing information (as at January 2008) is as follows:
	 (a) the East of England: 189;
	 (b) the East Midlands: 193;
	 (c) London: 241;
	 (d) the North East: 238;
	 (e) North West: 267;
	 (f ) South East: 259;
	 (g) South West; 246; and
	 (h) Yorkshire and the Humber: 220.
	The running cost expenditure for each of the offices for the last five years is as set out in the following table.
	
		
			 £000 
			 GO 2002-03 2003-04 L2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 
			 East 9,355.85 12,841.51 15,075.61 13,296.12 12,211.64 
			 East Midlands 8,713.24 11,153.67 11,937.13 12,530.66 11,490.17 
			 London 14,038.84 16,654.91 18,870.09 18,483.70 17,595.20 
			 North East 9,954.46 12,167.24 13,887.09 13,138.16 12,730.25 
			 North West 15,523.52 16,808.94 17,777.86 17,745.45 16,933.67 
			 South East 10,874.74 14,099.03 14,372.51 14,624.51 13,677.13 
			 South West 11,860.77 13,960.23 14,724.92 14,823.08 14,570.49 
			 Yorks and the Humber 10,943.77 12,4870.23 13,453.18 13,494.30 10,676.64 
		
	
	The total staffing costs in 2006-07 were as follows:
	 (a) the East of England: £9,710,710;
	 (b) the East Midlands: £9,308,430;
	 (c) London : £13,230,880;
	 (d) the North East: £10,271,150;
	 (e) North West: £12,924,880;
	 (f) South East: £11,647,190;
	 (g) South West: £10,780,010; and
	 (h) Yorkshire and the Humber: £9,574,780.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations have been received calling for a home information pack to be required prior to marketing.

Caroline Flint: We have received a range of representations about HIPs, including some relating to the current first day marketing provision. We continue to welcome such representations as HIPs bed in and we move towards a permanent state of implementation.

Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield,  Official Report, columns 1527-28W, on housing, how many domestic dwellings were on the valuation list in each year since the establishment of council tax.

John Healey: Details of the number of domestic dwellings on the valuation list are published each year in "Local Government Financial Statistics (England)".
	The information for 1993 was published in LGFS No. 4: 1990-91 to 1993-94, for 1994 in LGFS No. 5: 1994, for 1995 in LGFS No. 6: 1995, for 1996 in LGFS No. 7: 1996, for 1997 in LGFS No. 8: 1997, for 1998 in LGFS No. 9: 1998, for 1999 in LGFS No. 10: 1999, for 2000 in LGFS No. 11: 2000, for 2001 in LGFS No. 12: 2001 and for 2002 to 2006 in LGFS No. 17: 2007.
	These publications are in the Library of the House and LGFS Nos. 11, 12 and 17 are also available on the Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/fmance/stats/index.htm
	The data are provided by the Valuation Office Agency.

Housing: Debt

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the historic housing debt remaining at the latest available date; what rate of interest was charged on that date; how much has been written off for  (a) stock transfer and  (b) large-scale voluntary transfers since 2000; and what the cost is of treating the remaining debt in the same fashion as that in transfers.

Caroline Flint: No distinction is drawn between 'historic debt' entered into to build councils' housing stock and 'new debt' entered into to pay for decent homes. The total assumed housing debt in 2007-08 is £17.3 billion. The interest on debt is governed by each council's Consolidated Rate of Interest (CRI). The CRI is different for each authority and depends upon the number, value and period of the various loans that authorities have negotiated individually. The average CRI for 2007-08 is 6.17 per cent.
	If a local authority's attributable housing debt is not cleared either in part or in entirety by receipts from a registered social landlord (RSL) through large-scale voluntary transfer arrangements, the debt that remains is transferred from the local-authority sector to central Government through a payment made to the Public Works Loan Board. Overhanging debt payments to the Public Works Loans Board under these debt transfer arrangements since 2000 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2000-01 276 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 548 
			 2003-04 91 
			 2004-05 591 
			 2005-06 386 
			 2006-07 544 
			 Total 2,436 
		
	
	A payment of £17.3 billion would be required to be made to the PWLB to transfer the remaining housing debt to the Exchequer.

Job Creation: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many jobs were directly created by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund in Newcastle in 2006-07; and what proportion of these were for residents of  (a) Newcastle and  (b) priority areas of the fund.

John Healey: In 2006-07 the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) was pooled within the Local Area Agreement (LAA). The NRF was un-ring-fenced and eligible areas were free to use this funding in ways that would contribute to narrowing the gap between the most deprived areas and the rest within each district. Performance was monitored across six key themes—crime, education, health, worklessness, housing and live ability.
	It is not possible to determine exactly how many jobs were created as a direct consequence of NRF use in Newcastle.

Job Creation: Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued on the recording of jobs created directly in Working Neighbourhoods Fund priority areas.

John Healey: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund will be paid as part of the new Area-Based Grant—a non-ring-fenced general grant—from April 2008. In accordance with the freedoms and flexibilities afforded to local authorities through the local government White Paper we will not be placing any additional burdens on local authorities to report on the use of any part of the grant outside the 198 National Indicators. Performance on tackling worklessness will be monitored as part of these 198 indicators, but not specifically the number of jobs created.

Land

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether public requests to order disposal can be applied to land owned by  (a) Government Departments and their agencies,  (b) the Crown Estate,  (c) regional development agencies,  (d) English Partnerships and  (e) the British Rail Residual Body.

Parmjit Dhanda: Part 10 of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 makes provision for the disposal of public land, including the specific public request to order disposal (PROD) power. Schedule 16 of the Act lists the specific bodies to whom part 10 of the Act applies.
	The five bodies listed in the question are not listed in schedule 16 of the Act and therefore public requests to order disposal cannot be applied to any land owned by these bodies, apart from one small exception. English Partnerships is a single operational entity which brings together the Urban Regeneration Agency and the Commission for the New Towns. However, these two bodies continue to exist legally. The Commission for the New Towns is listed in schedule 16 of the Act as a body to which part 10 applies. If it could be proved that the land in question was owned by The Commission for the New Towns, the public request to order disposal could be applied to that land.

Local Authorities: Equality

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to assist local authorities in tackling gender pay gaps among their employees.

John Healey: Central Government have recently increased the financial flexibility available to local authorities to meet their equal pay obligations and to speed up progress on delivering equal pay. On 5 February, we announced that the Government would continue to support councils to meet their equal pay obligations through a further equal pay capitalisation round in 2008-09. This builds on the £500 million issued to 46 authorities on 28 September 2007 for the current financial year. These directions were issued much earlier in the financial year than previous capitalisation directions to facilitate better financial planning and to maintain the momentum already achieved.

Local Authorities: Vehicles

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department collects information on the proportion of local authorities' vehicles manufactured in the UK.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information is not held centrally.

Local Government Finance: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the area based grant for 2008-09 will be for each Tyne and Wear local authority; and how much its various predecessor grants were for those authorities in 2007-08.

John Healey: The Government published allocations of the area-based grant (ABG) at individual authority level on a three-year basis alongside the local government finance settlement 2008-09 to 2010-11. Full details of the allocations, as at the time of the settlement, are available on the Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0809/specgrant.htm
	The 2008-09 Allocations for Tyne and Wear authorities for the period 2008-09 are as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Gateshead 17.187 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 21.978 
			 North Tyneside 10.533 
			 South Tyneside 20.655 
			 Sunderland 25.188 
		
	
	Area-based grant is a new non-ring-fenced general grant which comprises some 40 funding streams from seven Government Departments including my own, three of which are new and 37 of which were previously paid as specific grants. Data on the 2007-08 allocations of the 37 predecessor grants are not held in one place at individual local-authority level, and it would incur disproportionate costs to collate the information. A list of the former specific grants moved into ABG is available on our website at
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/rsg_abg.pdf

Olympic Games 2012: Essex

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if the Minister for the East of England will visit  (a) Essex and  (b) Colchester to discuss potential involvement with the 2012 Olympics.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Minister for the East of England will be visiting Essex in July to meet representatives of the county council, and has asked for the Olympics to be placed on the agenda.
	The Minister for the East of England, and I understand that partners in Essex are well engaged with the Olympics nations and regions structures that are in place. I am also aware of the efforts made by Colchester to engage and recognise opportunities by forming a 2012 Partnership Group and submitting an application for a pre-games training camp.
	The Minister for the East of England currently has no plans to visit Colchester, but she would be pleased to consider any further information about how it plans to be involved in the 2012 Olympics.

Planning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how often the expert panels on  (a) housing markets and planning,  (b) neighbourhoods, cities and regions and  (c) housing and communities have met since being established; and whether their advice is made public.

Parmjit Dhanda: Each of the expert panels had separate launch events, to which all panel members were invited. However, the primary role of the expert panels is for individual panel members to provide advice on the topics in which they specialise, either through attending relevant policy seminars or through undertaking customised pieces of research in order to meet the Department's short-term information needs. As such, the panels do not meet formally.
	The lead members for each expert panel are developing bespoke websites in order to disseminate the outputs of the respective panels. The membership of the expert panels was provided in response to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 5 February 2008 , Official Report, columns 1020-21W.

Planning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from  (a) the Welsh Assembly Government and  (b) the Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly for Wales on their involvement in the development of UK-wide planning legislation.

John Healey: We have received a number of representations from the Welsh Assembly Government on their involvement in the development of UK-wide planning legislation. I have received representations about the Planning Bill from the Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly of Wales, including a copy of the Committee's report on the Bill.

Regeneration

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the report on Alternatives to Casino-led regeneration; on what date the report  (a) was commissioned,  (b) was originally scheduled for publication and  (c) is now expected to be published; and what the cost of producing the report is.

John Healey: The Review of Alternative Approaches to regional casino-led regeneration will be published shortly.
	In July, the Prime Minister said that the Government would consider the question of whether deprived areas could be equally well served by forms of regeneration other than the development of regional casinos. As a part of this process, an interdepartmental working group was set up, the first meeting of which was held on 9 August 2007.
	Civil servants have to date devoted a significant amount of time to the investigation of alternatives to regional casino-led regeneration, although the review has not had a specifically dedicated resource. In addition, there has been a cost of approximately £3,000 for the Expert Panel members' time to peer-review the document.

Regional Ministers: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative costs for the Government offices for the regions are expected to be in the current financial year.

Parmjit Dhanda: The administrative costs of the Government offices for the regions in 2007-08 are expected to be £142,656,000. This includes all funding received from sponsor Departments, including a non-cash allocation and funds that have been provided for the current year for a voluntary early release scheme.

Regional Ministers: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what budgets the Government offices for the regions are responsible for in the current financial year.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government offices for the regions have specific responsibility for an administration running cost budget and a capital budget.
	Programme budgets administered by the Government offices are the responsibility of the Secretaries of State for the relevant sponsor Departments. The Departments delegate authority to the regional directors to spend against their programmes, though all expenditure incurred is recorded in the accounts of the Department concerned.

Supporting People Programme: Finance

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of recent trends in Supporting People funding in respect of domestic violence  (a) refuge provision,  (b) women only services and  (c) black and minority ethnic women services.

Iain Wright: In 2005-06, over £59 million of Supporting People funding was used to provide housing-related support for victims of domestic violence. In 2006-07, the most recent year for which figures are available, that figure had risen to over £61 million. Services are commissioned by top-tier local authorities to meet local needs. The Government have not assessed the funding for specific types of services to which my hon. Friend refers.

Thames Gateway: Resignations

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the reasons for the resignation of Judith Armitt, chief executive of Thames Gateway; and whether Ministers in her Department were consulted by Ms. Armitt on her decision prior to its announcement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Andrew Mackinlay) on 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1324W.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answers of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1034-5W, on urban areas: sustainable development, what measures, rules, codes of practice, or other guidelines are in place on transparency and propriety in her Department's dealings with property developers in relation to eco-towns; how much financial or other assistance has been received in sponsorship for eco-town events by property developers in Micheldever in the last 12 months; how much is expected in the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: All Government officials are bound by the obligations set out in the Civil Service Code. The forthcoming public consultation on eco-towns will be undertaken in line with the Government's Code of Practice on consultations.
	The Government have received no sponsorship or financial support from private developers for eco-towns events that they have held, and will not be receiving any future support. Any funding received by a non-governmental organisation for eco-towns events is a matter for that organisation.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on  (a) child benefit and  (b) child tax credit for 16 to 19-year-olds in full-time education and unwaged work-based learning in 2006-07; and how much is planned to be spent on each in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) 2010-11.

Jane Kennedy: The latest information on finalised child tax credit awards is for 2005-06. It is estimated that the entitlement for families with one or more children aged at least 16 at the previous 31 August was about £1.8 billion. This estimate includes entitlement for other children in these families. It also includes families receiving the equivalent level of support via income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance.
	In 2006-07, around £1 billion was paid in child benefit to families in respect of children aged at least 16 at the previous August.
	Estimates and forecasts for later years are not available.

Child Benefit: Personal Records

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the  (a) guidance provided to and  (b) training procedures for HM Revenue and Customs staff on access to copying and dissemination of personal data.

Jane Kennedy: Examples of guidance to HMRC staff are already in the public domain and can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals
	It would not be appropriate to publish more specific details of the data security arrangements, controls and procedures adopted by HMRC to protect personal and other sensitive data as to do so would be likely to undermine their effectiveness.
	HMRC is currently reviewing all training procedures and guidance relating to data security following the recent child benefit data loss incident.

Credit

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the  (a) size and  (b) recent trends in growth of the (i) global and (ii) domestic credit default swap market.

Angela Eagle: There are many statistical sources that provide estimates of the size of the global credit default swap market. Two such resources are the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA).
	The latest BIS survey published in November 2007 reported the notional amount of outstanding over the counter credit default swaps to be $42.6 trillion in June 2007, up from $28.9 trillion in December 2006 ($13.9 trillion in December 2005).
	ISDA reported that the notional amount outstanding of credit derivatives grew by 32 per cent. in the first six months of 2007 to $45.46 trillion from $34.42 trillion. They also reported that the annual growth rate for credit derivatives is 75 per cent. from $26.0 trillion at mid-year 2006.

Credit

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) his Department,  (b) the Bank of England and  (c) the Financial Services Authority have conducted an analysis of the effect on UK financial stability of the growth of the credit default swap market.

Angela Eagle: Both the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority routinely analyse developments in the credit default swap market, drawing on their relationships with firms, trade associations and international counterparts. These assessments are shared with HM Treasury through the Tripartite Standing Committee on Financial Stability. The Bank of England publish their analysis in their Quarterly Bulletin and Financial Stability Report.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's civil servants were  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The Department does not collect data on the number of Treasury staff who have been suspended. The number of staff dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material in each of the last five years is nil.

Departmental Publications

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the last 12 editions of the staff magazine of  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Financial Secretary (Mr. Healey) on 5 February 2007,  Official Report, column 737W.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on translation services by his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) in 2007-08 to date.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor's Department and its associated agencies have procured translation services over the last five years. However, it is not possible to provide comprehensive details as these could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of non-UK citizens in  (a) unskilled and  (b) semi-skilled employment in the UK in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the working age employment rate of  (a) UK nationals and  (b) the UK population who were (i) unskilled, (ii) semi-skilled and (iii) skilled workers was in each year since 2001; and what research he has (A) commissioned and (B) evaluated on changes in these employment rates.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 25 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your two Parliamentary Questions. The first is about the number of (a) UK nationals and (b) the UK 60 million population who were (i) unskilled, (ii) semi-skilled and (iii) skilled workers was in each year since 2001; and what research has been (A) commissioned and (B) evaluated on changes in these employment rates. The second is about the number of non UK citizens in (a) unskilled and (b) semi-skilled employment in the UK in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (177468, 177469)
	The data for analysing migrant workers comes from the Labour Force Survey. The National Statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16 - 64 for men, 16-59 for women), and in employment. However, you have requested data analysed by nationality and this is the basis on which this PQ has been answered.
	The attached table gives the number and proportion of UK nationals, foreign nationals and all people in employment, for the three month period ending June each year, from 2001 to 2007. Comparable estimates are not available before 2001. The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification has been used to categorise the population and provide the employment status of each working age adult.
	I am advised that the Government has not commissioned research on the changes in the employment rate of skilled and non-skilled workers since 2001. As part of the Leitch Review of Skills, published in 2006, projections of employment demand by skill level and occupation was commissioned from Cambridge Econometrics and the Warwick Institute of Employment Studies. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/leitch_review/review_leitch_index.cfm
	It is important to bear in mind that the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Working age( 1)  employment level and rate( 2) , by socio-economic classification (NS-SEC) and nationality, April to June, 2001-07, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousands, except where indicated 
			   All SEC categories( 3,4)  Higher managerial and professional  Lower managerial and professional  Intermediate occupations 
			   Level  Rate (%)  Level  Rate (%)  Level  Rate (%)  Level  Rate (%) 
			  2001 
			 UK Nationals 24,323 86.1 3,165 92.6 6,482 90.7 3,219 87.5 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,089 81.0 226 90.3 283 84.4 112 81.7 
			 Total(5) 25,413 85.9 3,393 92.4 6,765 90.4 3,330 87.3 
			  
			  2002 
			 UK Nationals 24,360 86.3 3,128 91.7 6,735 90.3 3,183 87.5 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,164 81.4 210 87.1 347 86.7 102 78.1 
			 Total(5) 25,525 86.0 3,339 91.4 7,082 90.2 3,286 87.2 
			  
			  2003 
			 UK Nationals 24,492 86.4 3,271 92.1 6,840 90.5 3,098 86.8 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,238 82.4 232 89.1 352 88.8 133 79.7 
			 Total(5) 25,730 86.2 3,503 91.9 7,192 90.4 3,232 86.5 
			  
			  2004 
			 UK Nationals 24,414 86.6 3,355 92.6 6,928 90.8 3,046 87.4 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,343 84.3 260 91.5 359 87.7 130 84.0 
			 Total(5) 25,758 86.5 3,615 92.5 7,287 90.6 3,176 87.2 
			  
			  2005 
			 UK Nationals 24,465 87.0 3,441 92.9 6,973 91.0 3,027 87.7 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,424 84.4 273 89.0 373 88.2 130 79.1 
			 Total(5) 25,891 86.9 3,715 92.6 7,347 90.9 3,158 87.3 
			  
			  2006 
			 UK Nationals 24,241 86.9 3,490 92.6 7,107 91.2 3,019 87.3 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,636 86.4 311 93.4 401 87.6 120 83.7 
			 Total(5) 25,879 86.9 3,801 92.7 7,508 91.0 3,139 87.2 
			  
			  2007 
			 UK Nationals 24,071 87.0 3,494 92.8 6,924 91.0 3,002 87.4 
			 Non-UK Nationals 1,895 86.4 346 92.4 433 89.5 141 77.3 
			 Total(5) 25,973 86.9 3,841 92.7 7,360 90.9 3,143 86.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Small employers and own account workers  Lower supervisory and technical  Semi-routine occupations  Routine occupations 
			   Level  Rate (%)  Level  Rate (%)  Level  Rate (%)  Level  Rate (%) 
			  2001 
			 UK Nationals 2,171 89.3 2,824 86.3 3,707 79.5 2,755 76.0 
			 Non-UK Nationals 97 79.0 80 77.7 158 72.9 133 74.4 
			 Total(5) 2,267 88.8 2,904 86.0 3,865 79.2 2,888 76.0 
			  
			  2002 
			 UK Nationals 2,227 89.9 2,838 86.1 3,572 79.5 2,677 77.1 
			 Non-UK Nationals 96 83.2 96 82.9 174 73.2 139 73.8 
			 Total(5) 2,323 89.6 2,934 86.0 3,746 79.2 2,815 76.9 
			  
			  2003 
			 UK Nationals 2,336 90.6 2,759 86.0 3,619 79.5 2,569 76.9 
			 Non-UK Nationals 102 79.1 100 84.4 176 72.9 143 75.1 
			 Total(5) 2,437 90.0 2,858 85.9 3,796 79.2 2,712 76.8 
			  
			  2004 
			 UK Nationals 2,380 91.3 2,744 86.2 3,491 79.0 2,470 76.6 
			 Non-UK Nationals 134 85.2 109 86.6 184 72.0 168 80.8 
			 Total(5) 2,514 90.9 2,853 86.2 3,675 78.6 2,639 76.8 
			  
			  2005 
			 UK Nationals 2,331 90.0 2,736 86.6 3,502 80.3 2,456 77.0 
			 Non-UK Nationals 121 84.3 103 82.8 234 82.7 190 78.6 
			 Total(5) 2,453 89.7 2,838 86.4 3,735 80.5 2,645 77.1 
			  
			  2006 
			 UK Nationals 2,320 89.4 2,563 86.7 3,346 78.6 2,395 78.2 
			 Non-UK Nationals 156 90.1 139 88.1 285 80.7 225 81.8 
			 Total(5) 2,477 89.4 2,702 86.8 3,632 78.8 2,620 78.5 
			  
			  2007 
			 UK Nationals 2,346 90.3 2,604 86.9 3,342 79.1 2,360 77.4 
			 Non-UK Nationals 169 87.5 146 86.3 353 82.6 307 84.4 
			 Total(5) 2,515 90.1 2,751 86.9 3,696 79.5 2,667 78.1 
			 (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (2) Number of people in employment of working age as a percentage of all persons of working age in the relevant group. (3) Excludes those who have never worked or are long-term unemployed. (4) Includes those who did not state their socio-economic classification. (5) Includes those who did not state their nationality.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a break down of the number of people in employment in  (a) each region and  (b) each local authority area who were (i) UK citizens, (ii) citizens of other EU states and (iii) citizens of non-EU states in (A) spring 2004 and (B) Quarter 2 2007.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 25 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for a break down of the number of people in employment in (a) each region and (b) each local authority area who were (i) UK citizens, (ii) citizens of other EU states and (iii) citizens of non-EU states in (A) spring 2004 and (B) Quarter 2 2007. I am replying in her absence. (177482).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of employment for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	The National Statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16 - 64 for men, 16 - 59 for women), and in employment. However, you have requested data analysed by nationality and this is the basis on which this PQ has been answered.
	It is important to bear in mind that the APS is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who are foreign nationals. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
	The APS estimates at this detailed level are only available consistent with population estimates published in February and March 2003 and are not comparable with the estimates published in the Labour Market Statistics First Release on 14 November 2007, which are based on latest population estimates.
	Tables 1 and 2, attached, shows estimates for the 12 month periods ending in March 2005 and June 2007 from the APS. Table 1 shows the number of working age employed persons in each Government Office region by nationality. Table 2 shows the number of working age employed persons in each local authority by nationality. Copies of the tables have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.

Members: Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter dated 6 December 2007 from the right hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding a constituent, Mr. P. Hawkey of Longside.

Jane Kennedy: The Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the hon. Member on 21 February.

Members: Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter dated 20 December 2007 from the right hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding a constituent, Mr. R. Gordon of Peterhead.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the hon. Member on 15 February.

Migration

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the international passenger survey estimate of  (a) inward migration,  (b) outward migration and  (c) the net migration balance was in each year since 1978;
	(2)  how many  (a) inward and  (b) outward migrants to and from the UK there were in each 10-year age cohort in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Nationals Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 25 February 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your questions on how many  (a) inward and  (b) outward migrants to and from the UK there were in each year 10-year age cohort in each year since 1997 and what the international passenger survey estimate of  (a) inward migration,  (b) outward migration and (c) the net migration balance was in each year since 1978. I am replying in her absence. (177389, 177390)
	Table 1, attached, gives long-term international migration flows into and out of the UK by 10 year age band for 1997 to 2006 (the latest year available).
	Table 2, attached, gives the international passenger survey estimate of long-term inward and outward migration flows and net migration balance, in each year since 1978.
	The United Nations recommended definition of a long-term international migrant is someone who changes his or her country of usual residence for a period of at least a year, so that the country of destination effectively becomes the country of usual residence. This is used for calculating population estimates and projections.
	These data are from the international passenger survey (IPS), the main source for producing estimates of long-term international migration. Total international migration (TIM) estimates are the most comprehensive estimates of international migration and combine the IPS with other migration flows not captured by the IPS. However, the nature of these other data sources and the methods used to produce TIM mean that some queries can only be answered using the IPS. As a sample survey, data from the IPS are subject to margins of error.
	
		
			  Table 1: International migration flows by ten year age group, estimates from the international passenger survey, time series 1997 to 2006 (calendar year), United Kingdom 
			  thousand 
			  Inflow  All ages  0 to 9  10 to 19  20 to 29  30 to 39  40 to 49  50 to 59  60+ 
			 1997 273 25 49 120 45 20 8 7 
			 1998 318 25 41 153 67 20 6 6 
			 1999 354 23 44 171 75 25 10 6 
			 2000 359 20 43 164 82 32 9 9 
			 2001 372 26 37 185 72 27 16 8 
			 2002 386 17 54 191 78 30 7 10 
			 2003 427 25 55 209 82 32 15 9 
			 2004 518 20 57 266 107 36 18 13 
			 2005 496 12 57 269 101 38 12 8 
			 2006 529 32 55 269 107 41 16 9 
			  
			  Outflow 
			 1997 232 22 18 102 51 25 6 9 
			 1998 206 15 16 83 59 16 10 7 
			 1999 245 18 14 118 52 20 14 9 
			 2000 278 16 15 133 63 30 13 8 
			 2001 250 15 15 104 59 36 10 11 
			 2002 305 17 15 124 81 29 26 14 
			 2003 314 21 19 120 82 40 20 13 
			 2004 310 16 17 123 72 36 26 21 
			 2005 328 14 22 129 81 38 18 27 
			 2006 369 22 19 138 94 47 17 33 
			  Notes: 1. The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. It covers the principal air, sea and Channel Tunnel routes between the UK and countries outside the British Isles. 2. This table relates solely to the international passenger survey (IPS). IPS data forms the major part of international migration. However, total international migration estimates are produced by combining migration data from the IPS, Home Office data on asylum seekers, migration data between the UK and the Irish Republic and adjustments for 'switchers', i.e. those whose initial length of stay intentions are not realised.  Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: International migration, estimates from the international passenger survey time series 1978 to 2006 (calendar year), United Kingdom 
			  thousand 
			   Inward migration  Outward migration  Net migration 
			 1978 187 192 -5 
			 1979 195 189 +6 
			 1980 173 228 -55 
			 1981 153 232 -79 
			 1982 201 257 -56 
			 1983 202 184 +17 
			 1984 201 164 +37 
			 1985 232 174 +58 
			 1986 250 213 +37 
			 1987 211 209 +2 
			 1988 216 237 -21 
			 1989 250 205 +44 
			 1990 267 231 +36 
			 1991 255 247 +8 
			 1992 207 235 -28 
			 1993 204 223 -19 
			 1994 243 197 +45 
			 1995 235 198 +37 
			 1996 261 223 +37 
			 1997 273 232 40 
			 1998 318 206 113 
			 1999 354 245 109 
			 2000 359 278 82 
			 2001 372 250 122 
			 2002 386 305 +81 
			 2003 427 314 +113 
			 2004 518 310 +208 
			 2005 496 328 +168 
			 2006 529 369 +160 
			  Notes: 1. The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. It covers the principal air, sea and Channel Tunnel routes between the UK and countries outside the British Isles. 2. This table relates solely to the international passenger survey (IPS). IPS data forms the major part of international migration. However, total international migration estimates are produced by combining migration data from the IPS, Home Office data on asylum seekers, migration data between the UK and the Irish Republic and adjustments for 'switchers', i.e. those whose initial length of stay intentions are not realised.  Source: Office for National Statistics

Minimum Wage

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies in each of the last five years were found to be paying their staff below the minimum wage; and what action was taken in each case.

Jane Kennedy: In the great majority of cases where minimum wage arrears are identified the employer pays any minimum wage arrears without the need for any formal enforcement action. Where arrears are not paid, an Enforcement Notice will be issued setting out the arrears that are considered to be due. An employer will then have 28 days to lodge an appeal and subsequently have his case heard before an Employment Tribunal. If the appeal is not upheld or the Enforcement Notice is not appealed against, the arrears become due.
	Details of the number of employers found not to be paying their staff the minimum wage in each of the last five years can be found in the table.
	
		
			   Cases of non compliance 
			 2003-04 2,211 
			 2004-05 1,798 
			 2005-06 1,582 
			 2006-07 1,522 
			 2007-08 year to date 1,301 
		
	
	In line with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) requirements, each complaint about possible non-payment of NMW is recorded as a case. In a small number of instances, where exceptionally the same employer is the subject of more than one complaint, the same employer will feature in more than one case. The number of cases does not therefore equate exactly with the number of employers for whom arrears have been identified.

Northern Rock

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been lent to Northern Rock by the Bank of England and the Treasury.

Angela Eagle: This is a commercial matter between the Bank of England and Northern Rock.

Revenue and Customs: Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fees were paid to private contractors for the operation and maintenance of buildings occupied by HM Revenue and Customs in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs paid £295 million to PFI contractors in the financial year 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007. This included the cost of provision of over 700 properties under PFI contracts as well as their operation and maintenance.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to deal with correspondence from the public.

Jane Kennedy: This information is not available in the format requested and could be collated and provided only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken by HM Revenue and Customs staff to reply to correspondence from the public was in the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available in the format requested and could be collated and provided only at disproportionate cost.

Share Option Scheme

Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the value of share options issued by UK-listed companies has been in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the revenues raised from taxation on share options have been in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available. Estimates of the value of share options issued by UK-listed companies can be produced only at disproportionate cost. Tax revenues from share options cannot be distinguished from tax revenues from other sources of income and gains.

Tax Allowances: Voluntary Work

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will increase the 40 pence per mile tax ceiling for volunteer car drivers.

Angela Eagle: As I explained on 12 November 2007 in my reply to the Member's earlier question on this subject, there is no upper ceiling on mileage payments for volunteer car drivers.

Tax Yields

Alan Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue has been raised from taxation of executive bonuses in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available as payments in respect of executive bonuses are not reported separately.

Unemployed: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unemployed people there were in Nottingham North constituency in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2007.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 February 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question, how many unemployed people there were in Nottingham North in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007. (187301)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics from the Annual Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1, attached, show the number of people unemployed, resident in the Nottingham North Parliamentary Constituency for the twelve months ending in February 1998 and June 2007.
	This estimate is for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, and is based on small sample sizes, and is therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, show the number of people, resident in the Nottingham North Parliamentary Constituency claiming in December 1997 and December 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployed, resident in Nottingham North parliamentary constituency 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending:  Level 
			 February 1997(1) 6 
			 June 2007(2) 4 
			  Source: (1) Annual Labour Force Survey. (2) Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance of working age population for residents of Nottingham North parliamentary constituency 
			   Number of claimants 
			 December 1997 2,036 
			 December 2007 1,440

VAT: Vocational Training

John Horam: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend VAT exemption to commercial training and skills bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: VAT is not chargeable on education and vocational training provided by non-profit making bodies, local authorities, schools, further education colleges and universities; and certain supplies of private tuition. VAT is also not chargeable on the provision of certain Government approved vocational training by commercial organisations.
	While VAT exemption has never extended to all supplies made by all commercial training and skills bodies, the Government will keep the VAT position under careful review alongside the requirements of the European VAT agreements signed by successive Governments, and our broader employment and skills objectives, most recently set out in 'Ready to Work, Skilled for Work: Unlocking Britain's Talent'.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol-Induced Crime

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to combat alcohol-induced crime.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office and DCMS will publish our report of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 shortly.
	An interim report, published last July, showed that serious violent crime over a whole night fell by five per cent. and that there was a shift in the time that disorder peaked.
	We are encouraging local authorities and the police to take decisive action to fine premises or remove licences where there is trouble and we have given the police a range of tools and powers to clamp down on licensees and individuals who abuse the laws.

Identity Fraud

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her latest estimate is of the annual costs resulting from crimes associated with identity fraud.

Meg Hillier: In February 2006 we estimated that the cost of identity fraud to the UK economy was £1.7 billion. We are currently engaged in calculating a new estimate based on a new methodology and hope to make an announcement soon.

Identity Cards

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria the Government will use to determine whether an identity card is to be required in order for a public service to be provided.

Meg Hillier: Identity cards will provide the most reliable and convenient method of proving identity and will help in the more efficient delivery of public services.
	However, there are no plans at this stage to make the delivery of particular public services dependent on the production of an identity card.

Post-Charge Detention

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued on the questioning of those detained after being charged; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Guidance on questioning after charge is contained in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice C and H.
	Currently, questioning after charge only applies in limited circumstances; where it is necessary to clarify earlier statements, where public safety is at risk, where new evidence comes to light or for intelligence purposes.
	The Counter-Terrorism Bill, currently before this House, contains provisions which seek to strengthen questioning after charge in respect of terrorism offences. We are also considering, as part of the Review of PACE currently under way, whether such provisions should be extended to other cases.

Alcohol-Related Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government has taken to prevent alcohol-related street crime in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: The June 2007 National Alcohol Strategy reinforced the Government's commitment to preventing and reducing alcohol-related crime. As part of this, we have focused on ensuring that enforcement agencies are equipped with the legislative tools to tackle these crimes, and that these powers are robust and proportionate.
	In the past year, work has been undertaken on a national basis to raise awareness of these powers among police and trading standards, including the publication of national guidance for police and partnerships on dealing with alcohol-related violence, supported by a DVD, and also through a series of national enforcement campaigns to ensure that alcohol is sold sensibly and responsibly.

Immigration: Economic Effects

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research she has commissioned and evaluated on the effects of immigration on the economy.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the October submission by the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions to the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs.
	That report provides an overview of recent evidence on the economic impact of immigration, and estimates that in 2006, new migration added about £6 billion to economic growth.

Gun Crime

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to reduce levels of gun crime.

Vernon Coaker: We have made significant progress in efforts to reduce gun crime since 1997. We have increased enforcement operations, introduced tougher legislation and given more powers to the police and courts to deal with offenders. We are also empowering communities to take local action against guns and criminal gangs.

Stop and Search

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response she has made to the recommendations of the Flanagan Report on the recording of stop and account and stop and search incidents by police officers.

Tony McNulty: The Home Secretary's oral statement of 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1140W, welcomed the Flanagan Review proposals and announced that instead of issuing a form we would pilot providing the person stopped with a card, with the encounter being recorded using Airwave police radio technology.
	In her statement the Home Secretary also supported Sir Ronnie Flanagan's view that it is right to retain existing recording requirements for stop and searches but called on chief officers to streamline stop and search forms and processes as Sir Ronnie Flanagan advocates.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders.

Vernon Coaker: Three independent reports have confirmed our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour is working. Also, we have appointed IPSOS Mori to undertake a qualitative study investigating the circumstances in which different antisocial behaviour interventions are most effective. Antisocial behaviour orders are just one of these. The outcome is to be published in 2008.

Neighbourhood Policing

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her assessment is of the effectiveness of neighbourhood policing schemes.

Vernon Coaker: By April, every area will benefit from dedicated, accessible and visible neighbourhood policing teams. Over 3,600 teams are already in place, engaging with their local communities, agreeing priorities and tackling them with community safety partners.

Youth Initiatives

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to further engage local communities in initiatives to divert young people from antisocial or criminal behaviour.

Vernon Coaker: The Government funds various initiatives, for instance Positive Futures and Positive Activities for Young People, which exist to divert young people from a number of negative outcomes, including becoming involved in crime and antisocial behaviour. Local authorities have discretion over how they use funding to deliver projects most appropriate for both their young people and their local communities.

Police Bureaucracy

Chris Mole: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of implementation of the recommendations of the Flanagan report on levels of police bureaucracy.

Tony McNulty: In his report of 7 February, Sir Ronnie Flanagan identified a number of initiatives, which if implemented would free up time equivalent to 2,500 to 3,500 extra police officers. We welcomed these recommendations on the day and in our forthcoming Green Paper will set our proposed actions to turn this into a reality.

Ama Sumani

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will reconsider the procedures used in removals to Ghana following the recent case of Ama Sumani.

Liam Byrne: There are no plans to change procedures for removals to Ghana. Each case will continue to be assessed and reviewed in accordance with existing legislation and guidance.

Anabolic Steroids: Misuse

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people who  (a) took anabolic steroids and  (b) took anabolic steroids for non-medical reasons in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 February 2008
	 Information is not held on  (a) the number of people who have taken anabolic steroids since 1997. The number of prescription items for anabolic steroids which were dispensed in the community in England are contained in table 1 and shows steady decline over the last 10 years.
	Estimates on  (b) the proportion of 16-59 year olds in England and Wales who have taken anabolic steroids for non-medical reasons are available from the British Crime Survey (BCS) and are included in table 2 which also shows a decline in use since 1996 when questions were first included in the survey.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Total  items  ( T housand) 
			 1997 10.637 
			 1998 9.016 
			 1999 7.519 
			 2000 6.083 
			 2001 4.933 
			 2002 2.735 
			 2003 1.566 
			 2004 1.435 
			 2005 1.25 
			 2006 0.98 
			  Source: Information Centre for Health and Social Care 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of 16 to 59-year-olds reporting use of anabolic steroids in the last year, 1996 to 2006-07 
			  BCS 
			   Anabolic steroids  Unweighted base 
			 1996 0.3 10,741 
			 1998 0.3 9,884 
			 2000 0.2 12,771 
			 2001-02 0.1 19,973 
			 2002-03 0.1 23,357 
			 2003-04 0.1 24,197 
			 2004-05 0.1 28,206 
			 2005-06 0.1 29,631 
			 2006-07 0.1 28,975

Assets Recovery Agency

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Assets Recovery Agency is making in recovering assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Vernon Coaker: Since its inception in 2003 the Assets Recovery Agency has used its exclusive powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act in relation to civil recovery and tax as well as providing support to outside agencies in securing criminal confiscation orders. The Agency's Centre of Excellence has consistently delivered against its targets for the delivery of financial investigation courses. Key results are provided in the following table.
	The agency has also established important case law with regards to civil recovery legislation and spent considerable time working with the Home Office, Department of Constitutional Affairs and the Attorney General's Office to identify ways in which to speed up case progression and reduce costs.
	The agency was pleased to announce in its 2006-07 Annual Report that it had, for the first time, been successful in meeting its cost recovery target, having recovered more money than the agency is granted by the Treasury. Furthermore, during the lifetime of the agency it has had success in concluding cases to the value of 97.2 million and gained enforcement receipts of 28.2 million. A notable recent success was a joint investigation between the Assets Recovery Agency, Thames Valley police and the Serious Fraud Office, which led to a confiscation order worth nearly 41 millionthe largest believed to have been secured under criminal proceedings to date.
	
		
			  Key results of the assets recovery agency 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Q1-Q3 2007-08  Total 
			  Disruptions( 1)   
			 Volume 24 36 100 114 66 340 
			 Value ( million) 18.5 16.8 85.7 73. 6 33. 1 227.7 
			
			  Concluding( 2)  actions   
			 Volume 0 24 47 61 70 202 
			 Value ( million) 0 7.4 11. 8 20.2 57.8 97.2 
			
			  Enforcement receipts( 3)   
			 Value ( million) 0 4.3 4. 1 15.9 3. 9 28.2 
			
			  Training   
			 Financial investigation courses delivered 30 76 117 146 91 460 
			 (1) Covering civil, criminal and tax disruptions. These as defined as: obtaining of freezing orders/Marevas/interim receiving orders/property freezing orders, issuing of tax assessments, obtaining of recovery order where freezing has not taken place; or undertaking not to deal with assets, where freezing has not taken place, obtaining of a restraint order or obtaining of confiscation order, where assets are not under restraint. (2 )Covering civil, criminal and tax. These are defined as: recovery orders; voluntary settlements; tax agreements and criminal confiscation orders. (3) Covering civil, criminal and tax. These are receipts obtained following concluding actions.

Asylum: Sudan

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the findings of her Department's inquiry into the alleged illegal interviews of Darfuris with an active asylum case by a Sudanese embassy official in Home Office facilities in March and April 2007 will be published.

Liam Byrne: Investigations are currently still ongoing and we expect to reach a conclusion in the near future. Until the investigation is completed, the Border and Immigration Agency will not be in a position to comment.

Border and Immigration Agency: Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the Border and Immigration Agency to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood of 27 November 2007, on behalf of Mohammed Hussain Aziz (Home Office reference: A1024255, acknowledgement reference: B3422817).

Liam Byrne: I am sorry for the delay. The Border and Immigration Agency replied to the right hon. Member on 6 February 2008.

British Nationality

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of people eligible for UK citizenship as a result of their ancestry who have not taken up citizenship;
	(2)  how many people were granted UK citizenship as a result of their ancestry in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is not available
	There is no provision by which someone can gain British citizenship on the basis of United Kingdom 'ancestry'.
	Those with a United Kingdom born father, or a mother born in the United Kingdom after 1 January 1983, will normally acquire citizenship automatically.
	Those Commonwealth citizens who can apply for ancestry visas to enter the United Kingdom, on the basis of having a United Kingdom born grandparent, do not have a specific avenue to acquire citizenship on similar grounds. They would need to qualify for naturalisation in the usual way. There is no way of establishing how many of those naturalised had a United Kingdom born grandparent.

British Nationality: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people resident in Tamworth constituency have become naturalised UK citizens since 2005.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Capita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by her Department to Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries in each financial year since 2000; which contracts were awarded by her Department to Capita Group plc in each year from 2000-01 to the most recent available date; what the cost was of each contract; what penalties for default were imposed in contract provisions; what the length was of each contract; whether the contract was advertised; how many companies applied for the contract; how many were short-listed; what criteria were used for choosing a company; what provision was made for renewal without re-tender in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Home Office HQ figures on the total value of spend on contracts with the Capita Group and its subsidiaries are available from 2003-04 when the Department's ERP system was initiated. Earlier data could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Taking into account the May 2007 machinery of government changes, the available information held by the Department and its agencies on spend for each year since 2000 is as follows:
	
		
			   
			   HO HQ incl. BIA  CRB  IPS  Total 
			 2000-01 n/a 0 1,482,985 1,482,985 
			 2001-02 n/a 12,100,000 198,290 12,298,290 
			 2002-03 n/a 33,500,000 65,108 33,565,108 
			 2003-04 92,423 58,500,000 31,091 58,623,514 
			 2004-05 1,182,337 44,100,000 974,281 46,256,618 
			 2005-06 1,739,153 47,000,000 4,452,623 53,191,776 
			 2006-07 3,985,112 49,000,000 7,053,127 60,038,239 
		
	
	The Department does not hold a central record of individual contracts with Capita Group and its subsidiaries, and to assemble all the requested details from all individual contract records would incur disproportionate cost. The majority of the spend derives from the disclosure service contract between the Criminal Records Bureau and Capita Business Services based upon a public private partnership agreement. The Department is able to provide the information in relation to this contract as set out in the following table.
	The contract was awarded in 2000 and runs for 10 years from CRB go-live which occurred in March 2002. The contract cost is estimated at 400 million over 10 years. Contract schedules set out service levels and the service credits that apply should Capita fail to meet the agreed service levels. Liquidated damages are charged in the event of late delivery to agreed changes in the service. From 2001-02, the following payments have been received from Capita for service credits and liquidated damages:
	
		
			   Received from Capita for service credits () 
			 2001-02 555,000 
			 2002-03 1,718,000 
			 2003-04 1,528,000 
			 2004-05 53,000 
			 2005-06 92,000 
			 2006-07 168,000 
		
	
	The Department awards contracts in competition according to the EU procurement directives based on value for money. The contract was advertised and 94 companies registered expressions of interest.

Correspondence: National Assembly for Wales

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has replied to the recent Welsh Assembly Government letter on police pay.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 February 2008
	A reply was sent on 20 February 2008.

Crime

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the victimisation rate per 1,000 people was for all crimes in  (a) England,  (b) each English region and  (c) each London local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The British Crime Survey (BCS) reports victimisation rates as the proportion of the population who have been a victim once or more in the 12 months prior to interview. Trends in the percentage of adults who were victims of all BCS crime for years are shown in the following table for  (a) England and  (b) each English region.
	Prior to 2001-02 the BCS did not run continuously so information for all years requested is not available. Estimates for English regions are not available prior to 2001-02 nor is it possible to provide  (c) estimates for each London local authority area from the BCS as the sample was not designed to provide such breakdowns.
	
		
			  Trends in percentage of adults who were victims once or more of all BCS crime( 1) , 1997 to 2006-07 
			  Percentage 
			   1997  1999  2001-02( 2)  2002-03( 2)  2003-04( 2)  2004-05( 2)  2005-06( 2)  2006-07( 2) 
			 North East Region n/a n/a 23.9 24.8 23.9 20.9 23.4 25.2 
			 North West Region n/a n/a 32.2 28.8 27.3 26.7 24.1 26.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Region n/a n/a 31.7 30.7 30.1 24.3 25.1 25.8 
			 East Midlands Region n/a n/a 24.1 26.5 26.2 22.0 24.2 24.6 
			 West Midlands Region n/a n/a 28.2 25.8 23.4 23.5 23.9 23.2 
			 East of England Region n/a n/a 24.5 24.6 22.2 20.0 21.7 21.5 
			 London Region n/a n/a 23.5 25.8 29.6 26.8 25.7 28.1 
			 South East Region n/a n/a 31.6 28.7 26.7 25.5 22.9 24.1 
			 South West Region n/a n/a 27.9 28.6 22.5 22.6 21.4 21.3 
			 England 34.7 31.2 27.7 27.5 26.1 24.1 23.6 24.6 
			  
			 Unweighted base 14,138 17,983 30,228 33,476 34,916 41,432 43,520 43,053 
			 (1) This rate is calculated by treating a household crime as a personal crime. It is the estimated percentage of adults who have been a victim of at least one personal crime or have been a resident in a household that was a victim of at least one household crime. (2 )Ints.

Crime Prevention

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to reduce crime in and around schools in  (a) England and  (b) Enfield.

Vernon Coaker: Nationally, the Government are committed to improving the life chances of children and young people, by having fewer young people affected by crime and reduce youth victimisation.
	The main initiative to tackle crime on and around school premises has been the Safer School Partnerships (SSPs) originally launched in 2002.
	SSPs are a successful mechanism for ensuring structured joint working between schools and police, to identify and support children and young people regarded as being at high risk of victimisation, offending and social exclusion. There are now about 500 SSPs of one form or another across the country. Evaluations have shown that they are proving effective in improving behaviour and attendance, developing strong and positive relationships between the police and young people, and to help young people develop a sense of being part of the local community.
	Because of the proven success of SSPs, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has been working closely with the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Youth Justice Board (YJB) to encourage more schools and police to engage in this type of early intervention and preventative work which is so vital to achieving the outcomes we are all committed to.
	There is already a great deal of work going on across Government to tackle offenders and help vulnerable young people achieve the Every Child Matters outcome to 'Stay Safe'. Initiatives include Youth Inclusion Support Panels and the Youth Inclusion Programme. And since 2004, we have invested over 45 million in Youth Offending Teams which have pioneered antisocial behaviour prevention activities for young people at most risk. Their work includes:
	Youth Inclusion Support Panels and;
	Youth Inclusion Programmes.
	The Home Office has invested in other prevention programmes such as Positive Futures. Around 22,000 young people are currently involved in Positive Futures projects nationwide.
	In Enfield there are numerous schemes available to support and divert young people from crime and disorder which contribute to reducing crime in and around schools.
	Enfield has the largest secondary school population in London, including 11 per cent. of pupils who travel into the borough to attend school and as a result, it has one of the largest Safer Schools teams in the Met. This ensures that every secondary school in the borough has a dedicated officer. This team also runs activities in the half term and holidays for youth diversion purposes.
	Through the Enfield Strategic Partnership, the borough secured the funding for a dedicated Police Youth Inspector and Sergeant to co-ordinate Youth Activity across the borough. It also has Safer Neighbourhood Teams who run youth clubs, boxing clubs and football clubs.
	The Youth Offending Service (YOS) runs the YISPYouth Inclusion Support Panelscheme that all bodies can refer into for eight to 17-year-olds. There is also the Kickz project run jointly by the Football Foundation (Spurs) and Metropolitan Police in one part of the borough and very soon there will be a second site. On top of this, Enfield uses LAA funding (previously) Safer and Stronger Communities Funding to provide various youth diversion and enforcement activities (e.g. knife arch purchases, youth diversion work, funding for boxing, judo, clubs, street pastors and so on).

Crime: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of trends in crime detection rates in Tamworth over  (a) the last 12 months and  (b) the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally for Tamworth. While detections data are available for basic command units (BCUs), Tamworth is not a BCU.

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what items of her Department's  (a) revenue and  (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office raises revenues from fees for a number of services. These include charges for passports, managed migration and the fees charged by the criminal records bureau. The costs are uprated based on modelling of the future costs of providing these services. This is based on a range of factors including demand projections, the contracts involved and the general rate of inflation.
	Expenditure plans on Home Office business are based on business planning in support of the Department's role in leading the Government-wide strategy to counter terrorism in the UK alongside responsibility for policing, crime reduction, borders and immigration, identity and passports. These plans will be based on forecast activities and costs, including the reinvestment of Value for Money gains.

Departmental Data Protection

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when each electronic database in her Department containing personal information on members of the public was first created;
	(2)  how many security breaches relating to access to personal data occurred within her Department in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many staff of each grade have access to electronic databases in her Department which contain personal information on members of the public;
	(4)  how many times databases in her Department containing personal information on members of the public have been accessed in each month of the last five years;
	(5)  how many times databases in her Department containing personal information on members of the public have been transferred  (a) physically and  (b) electronically in each year since 1997;
	(6)  how many requests her Department has received from the National Audit Office for access to its databases containing personal information on members of the public in each year since 1997;
	(7)  what provisions her Department has in place to ensure that its databases containing personal information on members of the public are not accessed  (a) by unauthorised staff and  (b) for unauthorised purposes.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179W.
	The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  on how many occasions there have been data security breaches in her Department in the last year;
	(2)  on how many occasions officials in her Department and its agencies have been disciplined for breaching departmental guidelines on data security in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many times officials in her Department and its agencies have been disciplined for breaching the terms of the Data Protection Act in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security.

Departmental ICT

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what obligations her Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to the audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Liam Byrne: Home Department contracts include obligations on the contractor to comply with legislative requirements such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and these are set out in our model terms and conditions. Those contracts with ICT obligations have more specific audit requirements incorporated into their contracts. All personal data are to be protected in accordance with legislative requirements.
	The individual business units within the Home Department develop and review policy, procedures and processes with regard to their own security and data handling requirements and central guidance and policies such as that issued by the Cabinet Office.

Departmental Pay

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2007,  Official Report, column 648W, on departmental pay, how many of those earning over 100,000 were employed  (a) as special advisers and  (b) in a political role in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office has employed no one as  (a) a special adviser or  (b) in a political role in the Home Office on a salary in excess of 100,000 since 1997.

Departmental Vehicles

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were  (a) owned and  (b) purchased by her Department in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not hold central records of all the vehicles owned and purchased in each of the last 10 years. To obtain the information requested would incur disproportionate costs.
	Information on the number of vehicles owned and purchased over the last five financial years as follows:
	
		
			  Fleet vehicles owned and purchased by Home Office over last five financial years 
			   Vehicles purchased  Vehicles owned 
			 2002-03 193 1,387 
			 2003-04 134 1,407 
			 2004-05 88 1,436 
			 2005-06 235 1,385 
			 2006-07 146 1,512

Deportation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the deportation of individuals who are not entitled to remain in the country but who have taken cases to employment tribunals.

Liam Byrne: Information on the policy of deportation of individuals who are not entitled to remain in the country but who have taken cases to employment tribunals is available to view in the Operational Enforcement Manual (OEM) at Chapter 21.1. Copies of the OEM are placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available to view at:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/oem/oemsectionc/

Deportation: Police Custody

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours detainees awaiting deportation spent in police custody in  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) England and Wales in 2006; and at what cost to the public purse.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Violence: Reoffenders

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people found guilty of domestic violence offences went on to re-offend in the last period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available.

Dual Nationality

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK citizens are also citizens of another nation state; and if she will list in order the 10 other nation states with which such citizens most frequently hold dual nationality.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is not available.
	The Border and Immigration Agency records details of the nationality of applicants at the time that a citizenship application is received. It does not have information in respect of those who subsequently renounce that nationality or in respect of British Citizens who hold or apply for citizenship of another country.

Emergency Calls

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many calls were made to the police last year using the  (a) 999 emergency number and  (b) non-emergency 0845 6070999 number.

Tony McNulty: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Data on the number of emergency calls made to the police are published in the Annual Reports of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). The latest available data refer to the 2004-05 financial year, and can be found in Figure 8 of the HMIC Annual Report 2004-05. This publication is available via the Home Office website at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0506/hc08/0842/0842.pdf
	The total number of 999 calls received by the police forces of England and Wales for the year 2004-05 was 10,243,515.
	 (b) Data on the number of non-emergency calls made to the police are not collected centrally.

Entry Clearances: Doctors

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Worthing, West (Peter Bottomley) of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 98W, on entry clearances: doctors, how many of the 2,095 doctors who were awarded highly skilled migrant status between 6 February and 31 December 2007  (a) were of each medical or surgical specialty and  (b) were making an application for a (i) new and (ii) renewed permit.

Liam Byrne: This information is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Forced Marriages

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many  (a) marriage visa and  (b) indefinite leave to remain applications representations about forced marriage have been received in each of the last five years; how many of those applications have been granted; and how many representations on forced marriage have been (i) investigated and (ii) resulted in refusal of the application in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Grants and refusals of applications for marriage visas, and grants and refusals of applications made after entry are recorded but these are overall figures and do not reflect the degree of detail requested.
	The information requested would require us to examine individual case-files which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Extradition

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained in the UK solely in connection with extradition procedures initiated by a foreign authority in the latest period for which figures are available.

Meg Hillier: There are currently 256 people on remand in connection with extradition proceedings in England and Wales. 27 of these are in custody in relation to separate, domestic offences. Therefore, there are currently 229 people on remand solely in connection with extradition proceedings in England and Wales (figures correct as of 15 February 2008).

Eyesight

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the merits of the provision of laser eye surgery for personnel within her responsibilities with visual defects to improve their operational effectiveness.

Liam Byrne: No formal assessment has been made but the Department does not normally assist staff with arranging any medical treatment.

Facilitated Returns Scheme

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners received grants under the Facilitated Returns Scheme in each of the last five years; and what the  (a) average and  (b) largest grant paid was.

Liam Byrne: The Facilitated Returns Scheme was announced in October 2006 and has resulted in well over 1,000 foreign national prisoners leaving the country. The level of cash support provided has always been 46.

Foreign Nationals

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals have been convicted of living off immoral earnings of prostitutes; and how many have been subsequently deported from the UK as a result of these crimes in each year since 1999;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals have been convicted of offences relating to assisting or facilitating illegal entry into the UK; and how many had subsequently been deported as a result of such convictions in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many foreign nationals have been convicted  (a) of trafficking people into the UK and  (b) trafficking people within the UK for sexual exploitation; and how many have subsequently been deported from the UK as a result of such convictions in each year since the offences came into law;
	(4)  how many foreign nationals have been convicted of exercising control over a prostitute; and how many such people have been deported subsequently from the United Kingdom as a result of such a conviction in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through examination of individual file records held by Ministry of Justice and Border and Immigration Agency at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Committee over the past 18 months and provided the most accurate and robust information available relating to foreign national prisoners. She advised the Home Affairs Committee, during her appearance before them on 15 January, that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were removed or deported from the UK in 2007. The Home Secretary has also confirmed that this included more than 20 killers, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 1,100 drug offenders.

Foreign Workers: Doctors

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of doctors who settled in the United Kingdom in 2007 were  (a) non-EU and  (b) EU foreign nationals.

Liam Byrne: European Economic Area nationals are entitled to free movement and do not require leave to settle in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the requested percentages cannot be calculated.

Foreigners: Identity Cards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether foreign nationals will be required to carry identity cards with them at all times within the UK; and whether the police will have powers to arrest and detain anyone whom they believe to be a foreign national until such time as their identity is proved.

Liam Byrne: The UK Borders Act 2007 expressly provides that regulations may not make provision to require a person to carry an identity card for foreign nationals at all times. The police may arrest and detain a person but only where there is suspected involvement in an offence and not simply because they believe the person to be a foreign national.

Foreigners: Identity Cards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what ways the requirement for foreign nationals to have identity cards within the UK will be monitored; and what assessment she has made of the likely effect of such monitoring on community relations.

Liam Byrne: When the new requirement for foreign nationals to apply for an identity card under the UK Borders Act 2007 commences this year, we will record how many cards we issueand to whom. Details of our roll-out strategy will shortly be published. We do not expect the new requirements to affect community relations, although we are presently engaging with the Commission for Equality and Human Rights about this.

Frontiers: Personal Records

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the general specifications and capability of the new system for monitoring travellers to and from UK ports of entry are; and what the timetable for its introduction is.

Liam Byrne: The e-Borders programme is a key component of the Government's wider strategy to strengthen and modernise border controls. It is designed to complement the UK counter-terrorism strategy. The main purpose of the e-Borders programme is to collect and analyse passenger, service and crew data provided by carriers (air, sea and rail), in respect of all journeys to and from the United Kingdom in advance of their travel, supporting an intelligence-led approach to operating border controls.
	The contract to deliver the e-Borders system was awarded to the Trusted Borders Consortium in November 2007. The programme will begin counting foreign nationals in and out of the country from October 2008, building upon the carrier data already captured in the Semaphore pilot. There will be a ramping up of existing capability in 2008 to handle data for 100 million (annualised) passenger movements by April 2009. The e-Borders operations centre (e-BOC) will be established by mid-2009 at the earliest, providing capture and watch list assessment of passenger data for an initially limited number of high priority passenger routes. The three stages of capability delivery are bound by the following milestones:
	December 2009: Initial Operating Capabilitywhich will deliver the capability to process 60 per cent. of passenger movements into and out of the UK;
	December 2010: Major Operating Capabilitywhich will deliver the capability to process 95 per cent. of passenger movements into and out of the UK and
	March 2014: Full Operating Capability.

Genetics: Databases

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department or individual police forces will pay for  (a) technology,  (b) equipment and  (c) training that will enable police forces access to the National Identity Register when it becomes operational; and what she expects the costs to be for each police force area.

Meg Hillier: Police forces or other organisations that will benefit from the provision of identity information from the National Identity Register would bear the cost of any equipment or training that they may require. No estimate of any such costs is available. However, as identity cards will be introduced incrementally, it is unlikely that any large investment would be needed at the beginning of the scheme and any costs associated with the provision of information would be phased in gradually as the national identity scheme itself grows.

Identity and Passport Service: Data Protection

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of  (a) data loss and  (b) data security breaches reported in the Identity and Passport Service and its predecessor agencies in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security.

Illegal Immigrants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate has been made of the number of illegal immigrants in the UK.

Liam Byrne: No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case.
	Exit controls were phased out from 1994. As part of the Government's 10-point plan for delivery, by Christmas 2008 the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This will build on the successes of our early testing of the e-Borders programme (Project Semaphore) which already covers over 30 million passenger movements and has led to 18,000 alerts and more than 1,500 arrests.
	This is part of a sweeping programme of border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.

Immigration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether her Department has received representations from the Church of England on the points-based immigration system;
	(2)  whether  (a) the Church of England,  (b) its dioceses and  (c) its individual parishes will be entitled to obtain licences to sponsor immigrants;
	(3)  whether  (a) the Roman Catholic Church,  (b) its dioceses and  (c) its individual parishes will be entitled to obtain licences to sponsor immigrants.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency is discussing with the Church of England our proposals for the points based system of migration.
	Religious organisations, including the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, will be entitled to apply to the Border and Immigration Agency for a licence to sponsor migrants. They will be free to decide at what level they seek registration.

Immigration

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applications for  (a) indefinite leave to remain in the UK and  (b) a travel document are awaiting a decision from the Border and Immigration Agency;
	(2)  what the current average time for processing applications is for  (a) indefinite leave to remain in the UK and  (b) a travel document at the Border and Immigration Agency.

Liam Byrne: Information on the total number of indefinite leave to remain applications awaiting decision is not held centrally and would require extensive examination of cases held in the regions and other areas of BIA attracting a disproportionate cost.
	There are 972 applications awaiting a decision within the travel document section of BIA.
	Statistical information on time taken to process applications is not collated.
	Service standards are published annually on the BIA website in the form of general caseworking service standards reports. These cover both charged (those with an associated fee) and non-charged applications. While such reports can provide overall performance against targets, they do not differentiate between different streams of casework, such as indefinite leave to remain or those applying for travel documents.
	The current published standards for processing charged applications are 70 per cent. of postal applications to be decided within 20 working days, with 90 per cent. of postal applications decided within 70 working days. For charged applications made in person at the Public Enquiry Office we aim to complete 98 per cent. of applications in 24 hours.
	For non-charged postal applications we will decide 25 per cent. within 20 working days and 30 per cent. within 70 working days. For non-charged applications made in person at the Public Enquiry Office we aim to complete 98 per cent. of applications in 24 hours.

Immigration

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many representations her Department has received from hon. Members on delays in processing applications for  (a) indefinite leave to remain in the UK and  (b) travel documents at the Border and Immigration Agency;
	(2)  how many applications for  (a) indefinite leave to remain in the UK and  (b) a travel document at the Border and Immigration Agency have been expedited or treated as a priority following representations by hon. Members in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Although the making of representations from hon. Members is recorded on a correspondence tracking system (CTS), the purpose of this system is to monitor the timeliness of replies. The information recorded is limited and does not include the subject matter of the letter or the outcome of the case.
	As there is no link between CTS and the system on which casework decisions and the issue of travel documents are recorded (the case working information databaseCID), it is not possible to link decisions made to representations lodged by hon. Members. Similarly, it is not possible to arrive at an assessment of any priority accorded. Priority may be accorded for a number of reasons, such as the serious illness of a close family member. In these circumstances, the information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records, at disproportionate cost.
	I can, however, assure the hon. Member that all representations received are taken into account before decisions are made and that careful consideration is given to any exceptional facts and circumstances which might warrant urgent consideration.

Immigration Officers: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of complaints of assault against staff involved in removals from the United Kingdom were upheld in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 February 2008
	This information has only been held centrally since October 2006 and relates to contractors' staff involved in the detention and overseas escort process only. Of the 51 complaints of assault made to date, two have been upheld.

Immigration: Armed Forces

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people eligible to apply for residence in the United Kingdom by virtue of providing assistance to UK armed forces  (a) have been granted residence,  (b) have been refused and  (c) have their applications yet to be processed.

Liam Byrne: As of 12 February 2008, of those staff who have contacted Her Majesty's Government, 293 people are eligible to apply for residence in the United Kingdom by virtue of providing assistance to the UK armed forces in Iraq. None have yet been granted residence. 93 have chosen not to opt for resettlement, and a further five have withdrawn their interest in resettlement. One has been refused.
	Of the remainder, 103 have yet to decide which form of assistance to choose; 84 are under initial consideration for eligibility for the Gateway resettlement programme and seven have expressed an interest in indefinite leave to enter the UK but have not submitted their applications to UK Visas.

Immigration: Detention Centres

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those held in immigration detention centres have previously served prison sentences in England and Wales.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination and cross referencing of information held by the Border and Immigration Agency and Ministry of Justice at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee in her letter of 17 December that there were approximately 1,200 foreign nationals prisoners held in the Border and Immigration Agency detention estate where deportation action was being pursued.

Migrant Workers

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people from  (a) Cyprus,  (b) the Czech Republic,  (c) Estonia,  (d) Hungary,  (e) Latvia,  (f) Lithuania,  (g) Malta,  (h) Poland,  (i) Slovakia and  (j) Slovenia held UK working visas on 1 May 2004, broken down by type of visa; and what guidance is provided to such people on steps they are required to take once their visas have expired if they want to keep working in the UK;
	(2)  what guidance her Department provided to employers on the legal implications of employing individuals from member states who joined the EU on 1 May 2004;
	(3)  how many people from  (a) Cyprus,  (b) the Czech Republic,  (c) Estonia,  (d) Hungary,  (e) Latvia,  (f) Lithuania,  (g) Malta,  (h) Poland,  (i) Slovakia and  (j) Slovenia have left the worker registration scheme having worked in the UK continuously for 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of nationals from the 2004 accession states who held a UK working visa on 1 May 2004 could be obtained only by detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office has published guidance on the worker registration scheme for 'A8' nationals, those from the 2004 accession states excluding Cyprus and Malta, and employers. This includes a booklet entitled Living and Working in the UK, detailing their rights and responsibilities from 1 May 2004. This is available on the Border and Immigration Agency website:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/wrsleaflet
	A copy will be placed in the House Library.
	The number of 'A8' nationals who have left the worker registration scheme is not known as there is no requirement to de-register once an individual has worked in the UK continuously for 12 months. The Accession Monitoring Report May 2004 to September 2007 gives information on 'A8' nationals and their intended length of stay. This is available on the Border and Immigration Agency website:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/Reports/accession_monitoring_report/
	A copy is available in the House Library.
	Nationals of Cyprus and Malta are not required to register on the worker registration scheme and are not subject to those conditions placed on nationals from the 'A8' countries.

Naturalisation

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been naturalised as UK citizens in each London borough since 2005.

Liam Byrne: Statistics on persons attending a British citizenship ceremony by region and authority 2005-06 are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 'Persons Granted British Citizenship United Kingdom, 2006'.
	This publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Naturalisation: Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed citizenship tests there were in 2006-07; what happened to the failed applicant in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: During 2006, there were 50,476 Life on the UK tests taken that resulted in failures and 93,421 during 2007.
	Candidates who fail the test are not tracked through the system so it is not possible to state what action candidates took following a failure. There is no limit on how many times a candidate may take the test.
	Candidates who fail the Life in the UK test and who still want to apply for permanent settlement or nationality must either retake and pass the test to satisfy the Knowledge of Life requirement or successfully complete an appropriate ESOL course.

Naturalisation: Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much providing citizenship tests in Essex cost the public purse in the last year for which figures are available; and how many such applicants were successful.

Liam Byrne: The Department has a commercial contract with the University for Industry (Ufi) to provide the Life in the UK test. Candidates taking the Life in the UK test pay a fee of 34 to the test centre. There is no limit on how many times a candidate may take the test and the fee is payable each time a test is taken. The fee is set at a level to meet the costs of delivering the overall testing service. There are currently no plans to change the fee.
	Test results are recorded against the test centre where the test is taken, but it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the figures for Essex. Candidates may take the test at any test centre, but it is known that many candidates take the test at a location convenient to their place of employment rather than their place of residence.

Offenders: Deportation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants were convicted of crimes in each of the last five years; and what proportion of these offenders have subsequently been deported.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination and cross-referencing of individual case records held by the Border and Immigration Agency and the Ministry of Justice at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency appeared before the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January and advised that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners had been removed or deported from the UK in 2007, exceeding the Prime Minister's target, which was an increase of around 80 per cent. compared to 2006.

Offenders: Deportation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made in deporting foreign nationals from English prisons.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 February 2008
	The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency regularly updates the Home Affairs Committee with the most robust and up to date information on the progress of deporting foreign national prisoners. She appeared before the Committee on 15 January and advised that over 4,200 foreign nationals prisoners had been removed or deported from the UK in 2007, exceeding the Prime Minister' target, which was an increase of around 80 per cent. compared to 2006. The Home Secretary has also confirmed that this included more than 1,100 drug offenders, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 20 killers.

Offenders: Deportation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been made to prison authorities by the Border and Immigration Agency on the deportation of foreign criminals serving custodial sentences of less than 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Monthly liaison meetings are held between all relevant parties in Ministry of Justice and Border and Immigration Agency to consider general issues and specific cases.
	The Border and Immigration Agency deported over 4,200 foreign national prisoners from the United Kingdom in 2007. A large number of these individuals were deported following completion of custodial sentences lasting less than 12 months and that will continue to be the case for any future deportations that take place.
	The BIA routinely considers for deportation those serving less than 12 months sentences. The chief executive recently appeared before the Home Affairs Committee and advised that the focus is on deporting the most serious criminals first, but we are already deporting a significant number of criminals whose sentences are either less than 12 months, for instance where a court recommends deportation, or where they have had a number of sentences of less than 12 months but those aggregate to 12 months overall.

Offenders: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU citizens serving prison sentences in respect of  (a) sexual and  (b) violent offences have been released from custody on completion of their sentence since 1 January 2007; and how many such prisoners have been deported or otherwise removed from the UK.

Liam Byrne: We have made it clear that our priority is to protect the public by ensuring that foreign national prisoners are not released without first being considered for deportation. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported from the United Kingdom. The Home Secretary has also announced that this included more than 20 killers, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 1,100 drug offenders.

Offenders: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU citizens have received custodial sentences for  (a) sexual and  (b) violent offences of (i) less and (ii) more than 12 months in each year since 1997; and how many such offenders (A) are in custody serving their sentence or otherwise and (B) have been deported or otherwise removed from the UK.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collated by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) and can be obtained through the detailed examination of individual case files only at disproportionate cost.
	The chief executive of the BIA advised the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners from the United Kingdom had been removed or deported in 2007. The Home Secretary has also confirmed that this includes more than 1,100 drug offenders, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 20 killers. A large number of these individuals were deported following completion of custodial sentences lasting less than 12 months and that will continue to be the case for any future deportations that take place.
	During her recent appearance before the Home Affairs Committee the Chief Executive of the BIA advised that the focus is on deporting the most serious criminals first, but we are already deporting a significant number of criminals whose sentences are either less than 12 months, for instance where a court recommends deportation, or where they have had a number of sentences of less than 12 months but those aggregate to 12 months overall.

Offenders: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 4,000 prisoners deported in 2007 were serving sentences of  (a) two years or less,  (b) 12 months or less and  (c) 12 months or less for offences of a violent or sexual nature.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through examination of individual file records at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Committee over the past 18 months and provided the most accurate and robust information available relating to foreign national prisoners. She advised the Home Affairs Committee, during her appearance before them on 15 January, that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were removed or deported from the UK in 2007. The Home Secretary has also confirmed that this included more than 20 killers, more than 200 sex offenders and more than 1,100 drug offenders.

Offenders: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU prisoners have been  (a) considered for deportation and deported,  (b) considered for deportation and not deported,  (c) deported following a recommendation from a judge for deportation and  (d) allowed to remain in the UK on the completion of the custodial part of their sentence even though made the subject of a recommendation by a judge for deportation in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through examination of individual file records at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee, during her appearance before them on 15 January, that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were removed or deported from the UK in 2007. More than 500 of these were nationals from European economic area countries.

Offenders: Deportation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of foreign nationals detained in HMP Peterborough were removed and deported under the auspices of the Border and Immigration Agency at the conclusion of their sentence in each month since May 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual casefiles at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency wrote a letter to the Home Affairs Committee on 17 December and provided the most accurate and robust information on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. A copy of the letter is available in the Library of the House.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted foreign nationals were deported in 2007; and how many of these had been serving prison sentences in England and Wales.

Liam Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised in her appearance before the Home Affairs committee on 15 January that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed from the United Kingdom in 2007. In order to ascertain which prisons they were detained at would require the detailed examination of individual casefiles at disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Borders and Immigration Agency's policy is on the deportation of prisoners serving sentences of less than 12 months; and what advice it has offered HM Prison Service.

Liam Byrne: Monthly liaison meetings are held between all relevant parties in Ministry of Justice and Border and Immigration Agency to consider general issues and specific cases.
	The Border and Immigration Agency deported over 4,200 foreign national prisoners from the United Kingdom. A large number of these individuals were deported following completion of custodial sentences lasting less than 12 months and that will continue to be the case for any future deportations that take place.
	The BIA routinely considers for deportation those serving less than 12 months sentences.

Offenders: Deportation

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign prisoners have been deported since May 2007; and to which countries they have been deported.

Liam Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Committee over the past 18 months and provided the most accurate and robust information available on foreign national prisoners. Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House.
	In her recent appearance before the Home Affairs Committee on 15 January, it was advised that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed from the United Kingdom in 2007. She also advised that a significant number of foreign national prisoners come from countries such as Jamaica, China, Nigeria and Vietnam.

Offenders: Deportation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost was of deporting a foreign national prisoner in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained through the detailed evaluation of individual cases only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency has regularly updated the Home Affairs Committee over the past 18 months with the most robust and accurate information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners and will continue to do so as required. Copies of her letters to the Committee are available in the Library of the House.

Passports: Biometrics

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data security measures have been implemented for the ePassport database; how much has been spent on such measures; and how much is expected to be spent on such measures in future.

Meg Hillier: The ePassport has replaced the previous version of the passport. It also uses the same databasethe Passports Application Storage Systemfor information storage. It did not, therefore, require any additional data security measures or any additional expenditure.

Police Pay

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was allocated to this year's budget for police pay as a percentage increase on last year's figures, broken down by police authority.

Tony McNulty: The 2007-08 Police Funding Settlement was approved by the House of Commons on 31 January 2007.
	The Government allocates funding to police authorities as a whole. No specific provision is made available for police pay. The distribution of resources and the setting of budgets is a matter for the chief officer and the police authority.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments were made to PricewaterhouseCoopers by her Department in each financial year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Information on the total value of the Department's payments, inclusive of its agencies, made to PricewaterhouseCoopers is available from 2004-05 following the introduction of the Department's ERPenterprise resource planningsystem. Earlier data could be collected only at disproportionate cost. The information held by the Department is as follows:
	
		
			   Payments made to PricewaterhouseCoopers () 
			 2004-05 2,380,974 
			 2005-06 2,361,723 
			 2006-07 4,910,425

PricewaterhouseCoopers

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has awarded any contracts to PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2000.

Liam Byrne: The Home Department engages consultancy firms to support and augment civil servants in the delivery of a specific range of work, including large IT development programmes and, where more cost-effective, longer term service delivery programmes.
	The Department's expenditure on these services is allocated across a wide range of firms, from small, specialist companies with niche expertise and few employees, to global multinational organisations offering a broad spectrum and substantial depth of consultancy expertise.
	The Department awards contracts in competition according to the EU procurement directives based on value for money. The Department uses OGC framework agreements where appropriate. The use of external consultants provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that would not otherwise be available. Some expenditure is on consultants to whom we have outsourced services, such as IT.
	The Department inclusive of its agencies has awarded contracts to PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2000. The Department does not hold a central record of individual contracts with external consultants. To identify and compile a list of contracts from individual files would incur disproportionate cost.
	The information held by the Department on the total value of contracts let to PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2004-05 is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 2,118,055 
			 2005-06 3,769,092 
			 2006-07 4,669,861

Prisoners Release: Crimes of Violence

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons sentenced to a period of imprisonment, then removed to an immigration centre and subsequently released into the community in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007 were originally convicted of an offence of violence.

Liam Byrne: The information requested can be obtained only through the detailed examination of individual casefiles and cross referencing them with Police National Computer records at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect of EU nationals who have served prison sentences of six months or more in the UK remaining in the UK;
	(2)  whether nationals from an EU country having served a prison sentence in England or Wales in the last five years have been deported following completion of sentence.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency will continue to take a robust approach in considering and, where international obligations allow, pursuing the deportation of European economic area nationals.
	The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee during her appearance of 15 January that more than 4,200 foreign national prisoners were removed or deported in 2007. More than 500 of these were nationals from European economic area countries.

Proceeds of Crime

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amounts have been recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Acts 1995 and 2002 in the most recent period for which figures are available; what proportion of these amounts was collected by the Assets Recovery Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In the financial year 2006-07, the total amount recovered under proceeds of crime legislation was 125.04 million and the Assets Recovery Agency recovered 15.9 million; approximately 13 per cent.

Road Traffic Offences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) parking tickets and  (b) speeding fines were issued for vehicles used by her Department in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse of those penalties was in each year.

Liam Byrne: The Department makes use of vehicles from the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA), the HM Prison Service Transport Unit and the vehicles of staff members used in the course of their official duties.
	For the GCDA I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1014-5W, by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport.
	For the HMPS Transport Unit the following tables gives the traffic penalties received for Crown vehicles over the last two years, the only years available. These figures cover both Home Office and HMPS usage:
	
		
			  Traffic penalties 
			   Notices of intended prosecution ( s peeding)  Penalty Charge Notices (p arking) 
			 2006 94 46 
			 2007 52 41 
		
	
	Data on the split of penalties between Home Office and HMPS per the above are not available. However usage of the vehicles is approximately split 40 per cent. Home Office, 60 per cent HMPS.
	Penalty charge notices are forwarded immediately onto the driver for payment, while notices of intended prosecution for speeding are returned to the relevant authority with the name and address of the driver. They then contact them direct regarding payment of fines or issue of penalty points. The Department therefore does not have any details regarding the total costs involved.
	Lease vehicles are also provided by HMPS Transport Unit, however information on these could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Penalties incurred by staff members using their own vehicles while on official duty are the responsibility of the individuals concerned. The Department does not hold records of these penalties.

Surveillance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether any warrants have been granted for intrusive surveillance of  (a) hon. Members and  (b) Members of the House of Lords under section 32 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 since 2001;
	(2)  whether any warrants have been granted for directed surveillance of  (a) hon. Members and  (b) Members of the House of Lords under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 since 2001.

Tony McNulty: It has been the established policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny allegations concerning whether or not there have been covert activities by intelligence or security agencies or the police.

Victim Support Schemes: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of crime received state-provided counselling in  (a) Tamworth constituency and  (b) Staffordshire in each of the last four years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not centrally available.

Work Permits

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been awarded to non-EU professional footballers since January 2007.

Liam Byrne: The number of approved and successful work permit applications awarded to non-EU professional footballers for the period 1 January 2007 to 1 February 2008 is 85, this figure is rounded to the nearest five.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Work Permits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from  (a) Cyprus,  (b) the Czech Republic,  (c) Estonia,  (d) Hungary,  (e) Latvia,  (f) Lithuania,  (g) Malta,  (h) Poland,  (i) Slovakia and  (j) Slovenia were issued with work permits in each month since 1 May 2004.

Liam Byrne: 115 work permits were issued to employers for people from these accession states between May 2004 and January 2008. This included a number of extensions and renewals.
	The number of work permits issued are broken down by month and nationality are detailed in the following table.
	The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Work permit approvals May 2004 to January 2008 
			   Cypru s  Czech Republic  Estonia  Hungary  Latvia  Lithuania  Malta  Poland  Slovakia  Slovenia  Total 
			 May 2004 (1) 5 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) 5 (1) 0 20 
			 June 2004 0 0 0 0 5 (1) (1) (1) 0 0 5 
			 July 2004 (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 (1) (1) 0 5 
			 August 2004 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 September 2004 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 October 2004 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 0 5 
			 November 2004 0 0 0 (1) 5 0 (1) (1) 0 0 10 
			 December 2004 _ 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 January 2005 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 February 2005 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 (1) 0 5 
			 March 2005 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 5 
			 April 2005 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 May 2005 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 June 2005 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 
			 July 2005 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 August 2005 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 September 2005 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 October 2005 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 5 
			 November 2005 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 5 
			 January 2006 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 February 2006 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 
			 March 2006 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 April 2006 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 
			 May 2006 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 June 2006 0 0 0 (1) (1) 0 (1) (1) 0 0 5 
			 July 2006 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 0 (1) (1) 0 5 
			 October 2006 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 December 2006 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 0 0 (1) 
			 February 2007 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 March 2007 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 April 2007 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 May 2007 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 August 2007 0 0 (1) (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 October 2007 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 November 2007 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 December 2007 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 January 2008 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 5 10 5 10 45 5 10 15 10 5 115 
			 (1 )Indicates 1 or 2.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest five. 2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in resolving the insurance claim relating to the fire at Yarl's Wood on 14 February 2002; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 February 2008
	Considerable negotiation and detailed consideration of valuation evidence continues to take place with the insurers, Home Office and their specialist advisers. The claim is nearing the point of final evidence submission and either settlement or potential litigation.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Class Sizes: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average pupil: teacher ratio was in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Tamworth and (ii) Staffordshire in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the pupil: teacher ratios in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Tamworth constituency, Staffordshire local authority and England, January 1997 to 2007 the latest information available.
	
		
			  Pupil:  teacher ratios in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Tamworth constituency, Staffordshire local authority and England, January 1997 to 2007 
			   Tamworth  Staffordshire  England 
			   Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			 1997 24.1 17.4 24.9 17.7 23.4 16.7 
			 1998 24.6 17.6 25.1 18.1 23.7 16.9 
			 1999 24.5 17.5 24.5 17.9 23.5 17.0 
			 2000 24.4 17.0 24.3 17.9 23.3 17.2 
			 2001 23.7 16.7 23.7 17.6 22.9 17.1 
			 2002 22.8 16.5 23.2 17.3 22.5 16.9 
			 2003 22.5 17.0 23.3 17.3 22.6 17.0 
			 2004 22.8 16.7 23.5 17.3 22.7 17.0 
			 2005 22.6 16.4 23.5 16.9 22.5 16.7 
			 2006 22.1 16.0 22.5 16.6 22.0 16.6 
			 2007 22.3 15.2 22.5 16.3 21.8 16.5 
			  Note: The within-school PTR is calculated by dividing the total full-time equivalent(FTE) number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools.  Source:  School Census

Classroom Assistants

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average number of days taken off work due to ill health by teaching assistants in each of the last three academic years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of lessons delivered by teaching assistants in maintained secondary schools in the last academic year for which figures are available;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of teaching assistants who left their posts in each of the last three academic years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect of the educational maintenance allowance on school attainment; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: A Learning and Skills Council commissioned analysis of The Impact of the EMA pilots on participation and attainment in post compulsory education (IFS November 2007, Haroon Chowdry; Lorraine Dearden; Carl Emmerson) found that EMA increased attainment at Level 2 and Level 3 by around 2 ppts for male learners and 2.5 ppts for female learners. When looking at the impact on actual recipients, the report estimates this equates to an impact on attainment (at Levels 2 and 3) of 7 ppts for female, and 5 ppts for male, EMA recipients. The full report was placed in the House Library, on 3 December 2007.

Folk Culture: Education

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will have discussions with the English Folk Dance and Song Society for the inclusion of England's traditional folk dance and song in the provision of five hours a week of culture for schoolchildren; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 21 February 2008
	We have published a prospectus for the 'Find Your Talent' programme seeking applications from partnerships to pilot an offer of five hours of quality arts and culture a week for children and young people. We have set out a core range of activities we believe young people should be able to engage with, including the chance to play music or sing in ensembles, and take part in dance performances. But we want local communities, schools and young people themselves to be involved in designing the offer. Organisations wishing to express an interest in piloting the offer locally should contact the relevant local authority and other major cultural sector partners in their area to discuss forming a partnership. National organisations should contact the Creative Partnerships team at:
	http://www.creative-partnerships.com/offer
	10 pilots will trial different ways of delivering a cultural offer. They will build on cultural activity already taking place. Children and young people already experience folk song and dance through the National Curriculum and through activities outside the curriculum.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children  (a) living with both their mother and father,  (b) living with their mother or father and other guardians and  (c) living only with their mother achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C in each year since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Complete information is not available. However, the Department's Youth Cohort Study can provide some estimates for some years and these are summarised in the table as follows.
	
		
			  GCSE attainment of young people according to which parents they live with 
			   Percentage getting 5+ GCSE at A*-C 
			   1993  1995  1997  1999  2001  2003 
			 Mother and father 45 48 49 52 57 60 
			 Mother but not father 34 35 37 41 40 43 
			 All, including neither of the above 42 44 46 49 51 54 
			  Note: Step parents are included and cannot be separated out  Source:  Youth Cohort Study, cohorts 7-12

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils entered for GCSE qualifications did not gain a GCSE, excluding equivalents and entry level qualifications, in 2007;
	(2)  how many pupils entered for GCSE qualifications did not gain a GCSE qualification above a C grade, excluding equivalents and entry level qualifications, in 2007.

Jim Knight: In 2007, of the 637,000 attempts at a GCSE qualification, 128,100 thousand did not achieve a grade A*-C and 7,200 did not achieve a grade A*-G.
	These figures are derived from figures which are published annually in table 10 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England '. Figures for 2007 are available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils of the appropriate age were not entered for GCSE examinations in 2007.

Jim Knight: The available figures relate to pupils at the end of key stage 4.
	In 2007, 0.5 per cent. of the 649,159 pupils at the end of key stage 4 were not entered for GCSE examinations or equivalents.
	This information is derived from figures which are published annually in table 3 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England'. Figures for 2007 are available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils in receipt of free school meals were entered for GCSE examinations in 2007, broken down by subject.

Jim Knight: Figures showing the number and proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals attempting GCSEs and equivalent, broken down by subject, are given in table.
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalent attempts and achievements( 1)  in selected subjects of pupils eligible for free school meals at the end of Key Stage 4( 2)  in maintained schools (numbers and percentages), Years 2006/07( 3)  (Revised), Coverage: England 
			   Number of eligible pupils attempting GCSE  Percentage of eligible pupils attempting GCSE 
			 Any subject 72,751 94 
			 English and mathematics 68,097 88 
			 Mathematics and science 63,977 83 
			 English, mathematics and science 62,347 80 
			 English, mathematics, science and a modern language 20,157 26 
			
			 English 68,992 89 
			 Mathematics 70,905 92 
			
			 Any science 64,872 84 
			 Single award science 13,289 17 
			 Double award science 42,867 55 
			 Physics 1,508 2 
			 Chemistry 1,549 2 
			 Biological sciences 1,883 2 
			 Other sciences 2,109 3 
			
			 Any design and technology 33,254 43 
			 D  T: electronic products 1,180 2 
			 D  T: food technology 8,632 11 
			 D  T: graphic products 7,044 9 
			 D  T: resistant materials 9,488 12 
			 D  T: systems and control 553 1 
			 D  T: textiles technology 5,137 7 
			 Other design and technology(4) 2,861 4 
			 Information technology(5) 7,171 9 
			 Business studies 6,317 8 
			 Home economics 4,661 6 
			
			 Geography 12,849 17 
			 History 14,307 19 
			 Humanities 1,753 2 
			 Social studies 2,867 4 
			 Music 3,875 5 
			
			 Any modern language 21,419 28 
			 French 11,971 15 
			 German 3,613 5 
			 Spanish 3,225 4 
			 Italian 162 0 
			 Other modern languages 4,234 6 
			
			 Art and design 20,254 26 
			 English literature 50,890 66 
			 Drama 10,812 14 
			 Media/film/TV 7,225 9 
			 Classical studies 193 0 
			 Physical education 12,986 17 
			 Religious studies 15,894 21 
			 Any other subjects 5,567 7 
			 (1) For each subject only one attempt is countedthat which achieved the highest grade. (2) Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2006/07 academic year. (3) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (4) Includes all other combined syllabus of which design and technology is the major part. (5) Also includes computer studies, information systems and any combined syllabus of which information technology is the major part.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils re-sat GCSEs in Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by subject;
	(2)  how many pupils re-sat  (a) AS Level and  (b) A2 Level examinations in each school in Tamworth constituency since such examinations were introduced.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Head Teachers: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many head teachers each school in Suffolk has had since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information is not collected centrally.

Pupil Exclusions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils excluded from school in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007 went to a school with (i) fewer than 500 pupils, (ii) between 500 and 999 pupils, (iii) between 1,000 and 1,999 pupils and (iv) more than 2,000 pupils.

Jim Knight: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Pupil Exclusions: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were permanently excluded from  (a) primary schools,  (b) middle schools,  (c) upper schools and  (d) secondary schools in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table, and shows the number of permanent exclusions from maintained primary and secondary schools in Suffolk local authority area from 1997/89 to 2005/06.
	A further split showing the number of exclusions from middle and upper schools can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number and percentage of permanent exclusions, 1997/98 to 2005/06, Suffolk local authority area 
			   Primary Schools  Secondary Schools 
			   Number  Percentage( 2)  Number  Percentage( 2) 
			 1997/98 13 0.03 104 0.21 
			 1998/99 18 0.04 106 0.21 
			 1999/2000 23 0.05 77 0.15 
			 2000/01 13 0.03 133 0.25 
			 2001/02 26 0.05 135 0.25 
			 2002/03 22 0.05 126 0.23 
			 2003/04 32 0.07 161 0.30 
			 2004/05 20 0.04 126 0.23 
			 2005/06 9 0.02 78 0.14 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the school population.  Source: School Census.

Pupils: Qualifications

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils who achieved level 2 or above at key stage one went on to achieve level 4 at key stage two in 2007.

Jim Knight: The information is as follows:
	In 2007,
	92 per cent. of pupils who achieved an average of level 2 or above in reading and writing at key stage 1 achieved level 4 or above in English at key stage 2
	84 per cent. of pupils who achieved level 2 or above at key stage 1 in mathematics achieved level 4 or above in key stage 2.
	95 per cent. of pupils who achieved an average of level 2 or above in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 1 achieved level 4 or above in science at key stage 2.
	Only pupils who have reached the end of key stage 2 in 2007 and have a valid level at both key stage 1 and key stage 2 are included in the above figures, excluding pupils who were absent or disapplied from the key stage 1 tests. In most cases, these pupils will have taken key stage 1 tests in 2003, which was the last full year of KS1 national curriculum tests.
	These figures are published annually in the Statistical First Release (SFR) 'National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England'. Figures for 2007 are available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000764/index.shtml

Pupils: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children entitled to free school meals attend a school which has more than 30 per cent. of such children in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : School meal arrangements( 2) as at January 2007England 
			   FSM rates as used in the achievement and attainment tables( 3)  All pupils( 4) 
			   Maintained primary  Maintained secondary  Maintained primary  Maintained secondary 
			  Schools where 30 per cent. or less of the school population are known to be eligible for FSM( 5) 
			 Number of schools 14,349 2,946 14,837 2,965 
			 Number of pupils 3,097,825 2,592,959 3,418,832 2,947,037 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 328,860 280,072 367,847 296,134 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 10.6 10.8 10.8 10.0 
			  
			  Schools where more than 30 per cent. of the school population are known to be eligible for FSM( 6) 
			 Number of schools 3,012 397 2,524 378 
			 Number of pupils 753,538 316,155 691,917 325,447 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 322,849 131,208 287,658 133,567 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 42.8 41.5 41.6 41.0 
			  
			  Total 
			 Number of schools 17,361 3,343 17,361 3,343 
			 Number of pupils 3,851,363 645,015 4,110,749 3,272,484 
			 Number of pupil known to be eligible for free school meals 651,709 411,280 655,505 429,701 
			 Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 16.9 63.8 15.9 13.1 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. Excludes city technology colleges and academies. (2) Includes pupils with sole and dual main registration. (3) Includes part time pupils aged 5 to 15 and full time pupils aged up to and including 15. (4) Includes all pupils, regardless of their age. (5) Selects those schools where percentage of school population known to be eligible for FSM is 30 per cent. or less. (6) Selects those schools where percentage of school population known to be eligible for FSM is more than 30 per cent.  Source: School Census

Schools: Community Relations and Revenue

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the revenue generated by schools by opening their facilities to community groups in the latest period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: Information is not collected centrally on the number of school facilities that have opened up for extended school provision or how much schools charge for their facilities. Local authorities have different systems and variable rates around schools charging community groups to use their facilities.
	Opening school facilities to the community is one of the elements of the extended schools core offer. We are committed to all schools providing access to the core offer of extended services by 2010 with at least half of all primary and a third of secondary schools doing so by September 2008.

Schools: Energy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes in energy prices on school budgets for 2008-09.

Jim Knight: We took account of a wide range of cost pressures on pay and non-pay faced by schools in calculating the minimum funding guarantee of 2.1 per cent. from 2008-11, including a 1 per cent. efficiency gain. An inflationary rise of 2.7 per cent. per year for all non-pay pressures, including energy costs, was included in the calculation of the minimum funding guarantee. We chose not to identify a specific factor for increases in energy costs in the calculation of cost pressures feeding into the minimum funding guarantee. In 2006-07 average expenditure on energy costs only accounted for 1.35 per cent. of schools budgets, out of a total of 21.2 per cent. spent on non-pay.

Schools: Energy

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has given to schools on managing changes in energy costs and their effect on school budgets.

Jim Knight: The Department has a range of guidance and tools already available, or currently in development, which assist schools in managing their energy resources and budgeting effectively against rising costs:
	In April 2008 the Department will publish a planning guide to enable schools to better adapt to changes in their budgets and to ensure they have the appropriate tools to deliver school improvement alongside existing running costs.
	Although energy costs represent only a very small proportion of the total expenditure of a school the Department has also previously published good practice guidance for schools on energy and water management(1). This provides practical suggestions and simple ideas which can be easily implemented and achieve major savings.
	In addition to this specific guidance the Department also enables schools to benchmark their energy expenditure with other schools through the Schools Financial Benchmarking website(2).
	Furthermore the Department is working with DEFRA to implement the European Energy Services Directive article 5 which requires the public sector to procure energy efficient products and goods. Guidance will be made available via Department websites.
	(1) http://www.dfes.gov.uk/valueformoney/docs/VFM_Document_ 84.pdf
	(2) https://sfb.teachernet.gov.uk/login.aspx

Schools: Governing Bodies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parent governors of schools were serving on  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school governing bodies in each year since 2001.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the composition of the governing bodies of maintained schools. However, parents must comprise at least one third of the places on the governing bodies of all maintained schools in England.

Schools: Governing Bodies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of parent governors of schools were  (a) women,  (b) men,  (c) white and  (d) of black and minority ethnic background in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the gender and ethnicity of the governing bodies of maintained schools.
	We encourage all bodies engaged in recruiting new school governors to monitor the ethnic origin of the governors they appoint, but completion of any ethnic monitoring forms is always voluntary. However, all schools and local authorities are under a duty to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote equal opportunities.
	Many schools will have pupils from black and minority ethnic groups, different faiths, refugees, or children with English as a second language. It is important that governing bodies include people who have the skills and abilities to drive forward school improvement from all racial and cultural backgrounds.

Teachers

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 180W, on teachers, what recent estimate he has made of the number of teachers whose capability is in question.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers have left the profession within  (a) one year,  (b) five years and  (c) 10 years of completing their qualified teacher status induction period since its introduction.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Teachers: Pay

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many teachers from outside the European economic area received golden hello payments in each year since 2000; and what the value was of such payments;
	(2)  what the cost of golden hello payments to newly qualified teachers has been in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: Golden hello payments are only made to qualified teachers of priority subjects who are employed in state maintained secondary schools in England. Teachers qualified in countries outside of the European economic area who teach in England are not eligible to receive a golden hello.
	The total cost of golden hello payments to newly qualified teachers in each financial year from 2000-01 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount ( million) 
			 2000-01 0.3 
			 2001-02 2.6 
			 2002-03 28.5 
			 2003-04 20 
			 2004-05 25 
			 2005-06 29.7 
			 2006-07 28 
			 2007-08(1) 24.9 
			 (1 )This represents payments up to 15 February 2008

Teachers: Qualifications

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of teachers attained the National Professional Qualification of Headship between 2003 and 2007 who are not head teachers;
	(2)  what proportion of head teachers hold the National Professional Qualification for Headship.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold this information. National College of School Leadership (NCSL) holds details of National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) graduates each year; it does not have information on their current position in schools.
	The number of NPQH graduates in each year since 2003 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 3,278 
			 2004 3,839 
			 2005 4,237 
			 2006 4,409 
			 2007 4,721

Teachers: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many newly qualified teachers have failed their induction period and remained in teaching in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) received notification of 23 newly qualified teachers that failed their induction between 1 September 2006 and 31 of August 2007. As the GTCE does not have any active employment details recorded for these teachers there is no evidence that they currently work as a qualified teacher in a maintained school or non-maintained special school in England. The GTCE do not regulate independent schools.

Young People: Unemployed

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people aged under 18 years were not in employment, education or training in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's estimate of the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) cannot be disaggregated to local level. However, we can estimate the number of young people NEET using figures drawn from the client management systems maintained by Connexions services. The following table shows the and proportion of young people aged under 18 who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in each local authority area at the end of 2005, 2006 and 2007 based on Connexions data. Connexions do not report figures at constituency level. 2005 is the first year for which local authority level figures were available.
	The figures relate to 16 and 17-year-olds known to Connexions and are not directly comparable with statistics on 16 and 17-year-olds NEET published annually by the Department of Children, Schools and Families. This is because the Connexions NEET measure excludes those on gap years, or in custody and young people who attended independent schools or were at school outside England may also be excluded. In addition, the Department's statistics relate to the young person's academic age, rather
	than calendar age.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of 16 to 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training 
			   December 2005  December 2006  December 2007 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  South-east   
			 Bracknell Forest 150 8.6 90 5.5 80 4.8 
			 Reading 330 10.8 250 8.0 250 8.4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 100 4.5 90 4.3 90 3.7 
			 Slough 230 87 150 5.8 140 5.4 
			 West Berkshire 190 6.2 150 5.0 150 4.8 
			 Wokingham 140 6.1 90 4.8 120 6.1 
			 Kent 1,840 6.5 1,780 6.3 1,450 4.8 
			 Medway 510 8.3 420 6.9 380 6.0 
			 Buckinghamshire 300 3.3 250 2.8 240 2.6 
			 Milton Keynes 340 7.5 280 6.1 260 5.2 
			 Oxfordshire 500 4.5 560 5.0 470 4.2 
			 Portsmouth 360 14.0 290 11.2 230 9.0 
			 Southampton 500 12.3 430 10.7 390 10.0 
			 Isle of Wight 160 5.8 160 6.1 150 5.5 
			 Hampshire 1,320 5.2 1,420 5.5 1,270 4.9 
			 Surrey 640 3.4 610 3.4 560 3.3 
			 Brighton and Hove 420 10.0 430 10.9 300 7.7 
			 East Sussex 550 6.0 710 7.9 620 6.9 
			 West Sussex 660 4.6 630 4.4 550 4.2 
			
			  London   
			 Camden 240 7.6 220 7.4 210 6.3 
			 Islington 340 9.2 320 8.4 290 8.2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 100 8.6 120 8.8 80 4.9 
			 Lambeth 400 13.7 300 11.4 240 9.3 
			 Southwark 370 12.6 370 12.2 260 9.2 
			 Wandsworth 260 6.5 230 6.0 160 3.7 
			 Westminster 230 8.7 150 6.7 130 5.2 
			 Barking and Dagenham 420 12.6 440 11.3 390 9.2 
			 Bexley 280 6.0 320 7.4 270 6.4 
			 City of London(1)  0.9 
			 Greenwich 470 11.6 450 10.8 390 9.7 
			 Hackney 350 14.7 360 13.7 280 11.1 
			 Havering 400 7.4 360 6.0 320 5.5 
			 Lewisham 380 8.8 250 5.6 240 5.6 
			 Newham 490 9.8 570 11.4 400 9.0 
			 Redbridge 310 6.0 270 4.8 240 4.2 
			 Tower Hamlets(1) 380 10.1 410 11.0 230 6.5 
			 Barnet 320 5.6 280 4.3 250 4.2 
			 Enfield 480 7.9 390 6.5 370 6.9 
			 Haringey 370 10.1 360 12.8 250 10.2 
			 Waltham Forest 310 6.0 350 6.4 270 5.0 
			 Bromley 270 4.4 290 4.7 270 4.2 
			 Croydon 540 8.8 480 7.8 430 7.4 
			 Kingston 100 3.2 110 3.6 90 2.9 
			 Merton 120 7.2 120 7.3 90 6.2 
			 Richmond 80 4.2 90 4.3 40 2.1 
			 Sutton 210 4.6 190 4.4 180 4.3 
			 Brent 190 4.4 200 5.4 180 5.1 
			 Baling 280 7.2 280 7.7 180 5.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 260 17.2 170 9.3 100 6.4 
			 Harrow 210 5.3 170 4.3 80 2.0 
			 Hillingdon 520 8.4 360 6.4 250 4.5 
			 Hounslow 300 6.3 310 7.6 240 6.0 
			
			  East of England   
			 Bedfordshire 540 6.8 500 6.4 470 6.1 
			 Luton 330 7.9 310 8.1 250 6.0 
			 Cambridgeshire 560 5.3 540 5.2 500 4.8 
			 Peterborough 390 9.6 340 8.2 310 7.4 
			 Essex 2,160 8.5 1,730 6.8 1,370 5.1 
			 Thurrock 330 9.1 270 7.5 240 6.6 
			 Southend 330 7.2 310 6.4 270 5.5 
			 Hertfordshire 1,070 4.8 950 4.2 760 3.3 
			 Norfolk 1,130 7.3 1,240 7.9 900 5.7 
			 Suffolk 960 7.3 1,020 7.9 830 6.4 
			
			  South-west   
			 Bournemouth 220 8.5 250 8.9 240 8.6 
			 Dorset 380 5.6 490 6.8 380 5.2 
			 Poole 180 6.4 180 6.1 160 5.4 
			 Cornwall 540 5.0 630 5.8 590 5.5 
			 Devon 720 5.3 830 6.0 710 5.5 
			 Isles of Scilly   
			 Plymouth 420 6.8 410 7.0 400 6.9 
			 Torbay 140 4.6 210 7.3 170 5.1 
			 Gloucestershire 670 5.5 570 4.7 470 4.0 
			 Somerset 510 4.9 480 4.7 390 3.9 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 190 5.1 150 3.9 120 3.4 
			 Bristol 600 9.2 530 7.1 450 6.3 
			 North Somerset 150 4.3 150 4.8 140 4.0 
			 South Gloucestershire 280 5.3 240 5.6 240 4.4 
			 Swindon 220 5.3 350 8.1 240 5.4 
			 Wiltshire 390 5.3 480 6.2 430 5.7 
			
			  West midlands   
			 Birmingham 2,550 13.2 2,240 10.2 1,630 7.2 
			 Solihull 490 8.3 410 7.7 300 5.1 
			 Dudley 580 8.5 560 6.5 480 5.7 
			 Sandwell 690 11.9 700 17.1 570 13.3 
			 Walsall 620 11.0 540 9.2 560 9.2 
			 Wolverhampton 620 11.4 590 11.1 500 9.4 
			 Coventry 570 8.4 550 8.0 420 6.0 
			 Warwickshire 630 6.0 720 6.6 620 5.6 
			 Herefordshire 190 5.9 170 5.2 180 5.3 
			 Worcestershire 590 5.7 530 5.0 440 4.1 
			 Shropshire 290 5.5 260 4.8 200 4.1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 300 8.2 330 9.1 340 9.5 
			 Staffordshire 1,100 6.6 1,120 6.7 870 4.9 
			 Stoke on Trent 760 14.3 760 14.3 620 11.9 
			
			  East midlands   
			 Derby City 460 8.5 460 8.6 400 7.4 
			 Derbyshire 860 6.8 870 6.7 830 6.2 
			 Leicester City 730 10.2 740 10.0 650 8.5 
			 Leicestershire 700 5.9 670 5.4 560 4.2 
			 Lincolnshire 800 5.8 710 5.0 580 4.1 
			 Rutland  0.7 10 3.0 10 1.9 
			 Northamptonshire 980 7.1 840 6.1 700 5.1 
			 Nottinghamshire 770 4.8 770 5.0 670 4.5 
			 Nottingham 470 8.3 540 7.8 470 6.2 
			
			  Yorks and the Humber   
			 East Riding 310 5.7 380 5.5 320 6.1 
			 Kingston upon Hull 820 12.8 740 13.4 670 9.8 
			 North East Lincolnshire 350 8.9 400 10.3 270 5.9 
			 North Lincolnshire 270 7.3 320 8.9 270 6.7 
			 Barnsley 630 14.1 530 12.1 350 7.7 
			 Doncaster 800 12.5 790 12.5 510 7.9 
			 Rotherham 630 10.3 700 10.5 600 8.9 
			 Sheffield 1,000 10.0 940 9.7 850 8.6 
			 Bradford 910 9.8 1,010 10.5 870 9.2 
			 Calderdale 350 8.5 330 8.3 320 7.9 
			 Kirklees 770 8.3 810 9.0 740 7.9 
			 Leeds 1,400 9.5 1,390 9.4 1,410 9.7 
			 Wakefield 790 11.5 810 11.2 730 9.7 
			 York 200 4.3 240 5.2 210 4.2 
			 North Yorkshire 500 4.4 480 4.2 440 4.0 
			
			  North-west   
			 Cheshire 680 4.6 780 5.3 620 4.2 
			 Warrington 240 6.2 270 6.7 200 4.9 
			 Cumbria 550 5.4 500 4.8 450 4.3 
			 Bolton 670 10.4 740 13.8 630 11.7 
			 Bury 310 7.2 350 8.4 310 5.7 
			 City of Manchester 1,070 11.3 1,040 11.4 840 8.8 
			 Oldham 410 6.9 450 8.7 400 7.2 
			 Rochdale 380 7.9 450 13.2 390 10.4 
			 City of Salford 460 10.1 520 11.9 390 7.1 
			 Stockport 370 6.4 480 8.4 480 6.6 
			 Trafford 290 6.0 290 7.2 270 6.0 
			 Tameside 460 8.6 450 9.6 420 8.7 
			 Wigan 680 9.8 720 10.3 570 7.7 
			 Halton 260 9.4 290 10.7 270 10.1 
			 Knowsley 300 8.9 380 12.8 360 13.1 
			 Liverpool 1,070 10.4 1,130 12.1 990 10.0 
			 Sefton 470 7.2 440 6.1 400 5.8 
			 St. Helens 380 10.3 380 8.8 320 7.1 
			 Wirral 620 8.1 660 8.9 630 8.5 
			 Blackburn-Darwen 320 8.9 340 6.2 290 6.3 
			 Blackpool 340 10.4 370 8.2 340 7.1 
			 Lancashire 1,560 6.6 1,680 7.7 1,640 7.1 
			
			  North-east   
			 County Durham 1,160 12.2 1,150 11.9 930 9.2 
			 Northumberland 470 8.0 530 9.0 450 7.5 
			 Darlington 220 8.7 190 6.0 180 5.5 
			 Stockton on Tees 400 8.9 330 9.0 300 7.8 
			 Middlesbrough 460 14.2 430 11.5 320 8.2 
			 Hartlepool 180 8.3 230 10.6 140 6.3 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 310 9.1 330 10.4 320 10.3 
			 Sunderland 770 12.4 740 12.2 660 10.9 
			 Gateshead 460 12.2 400 10.9 370 9.7 
			 Newcastle 700 10.1 660 9.1 660 8.5 
			 Tyneside 430 11.2 390 10.5 310 8.2 
			 South Tyneside 370 12.6 300 10.3 260 9.2 
			 (1) Figures for City of London are included with those for Tower Hamlets in 2005 and 2006

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Aimhigher Initiative

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on the Aimhigher Initiative in each year since 2004.

Bill Rammell: Available expenditure for the Aimhigher programme for each year since 2004 to date is:
	
		
			   Expenditure for Aimhigher programme ( million) 
			 2004-05 136 
			 2005-06 102 
			 2006-07 87 
			 2007-08 80 
		
	
	Aimhigher remains a central part of the Government's plans to widen participation in higher education (HE), and we have been happy to support it for a further period, to 2011.

Aimhigher Initiative

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost was of the Aimhigher programme in each year since its inception.

Bill Rammell: Since the launch of Aimhigher in 2004, expenditure to help to students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education has increased considerably.
	
		
			   million 
			   2004-051  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Aimhigher(2) 136 102 87 80 
			 Student support(3) 1,117 1,333 1,558 1,831 
			 Widening participation allocation 273 284 345 354 
			 Total 1,526 1,719 1,990 2,265 
			 (1) The unified Aimhigher programme commenced in August 2004. The amount shown includes the cost of predecessor programmes (Excellence Challenge and Partnerships for Progression) for the period April to July 2004. (2) The amounts shown include contributions from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Learning and Skills Council and the Department for Health. (3) Includes student loans RAB charge, fee loans, and student support grants. The Student loans RAB charge estimates the future cost to government of subsidising and writing off the student loans issued in that year; it does not represent the amount of cash lent to students, which has risen each year since the introduction of student loans. 
		
	
	In addition, the Office for Fair Access forecasts that around 300 million annually will be spent by higher education providers on bursaries and scholarships benefiting students from low-income and other underrepresented groups by the academic year 2008-09. Following passage of the Higher Education Act 2004, the Government decided to reduce the budget for Aimhigher to take account of the additional funding which was made available to support widening participation through alternative routes such as the large increases in student support.
	We have reformed student finance, reintroducing grants and raising the income threshold at which repayments start. No-one is required to pay a contribution to their higher education up-front. These reforms, together with Aimhigher, have been instrumental in bringing about progress towards widening participation. The proportion of UK domiciled, young, full time, first degree entrants to English higher education institutions who were from lower socio economic groups rose from 27.9 per cent. in 2002-03 to 29.1 per cent. in 2005-06.

Aviation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many air miles were travelled by Ministers in his Department in each year since its establishment; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result;
	(2)  how many miles he and other Ministers in his Department travelled on short haul flights in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result of these flights.

David Lammy: Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over 500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	All central Government ministerial and official air travel has been offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
	In addition, offsetting the flights of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and the Prime Minister has been backdated to 1 April 2005.
	A list of Government Carbon Offsetting Fund members, their emission figures and what activities they have offset through the fund is available online at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/carbonoffset/government.htm

Aviation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent by his Department on international flights since establishment.

David Lammy: Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over 500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	Information in respect of flights taken by officials could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Degrees

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of his staff dealing with universities hold a university degree.

David Lammy: DIUS staff records are not yet kept on a single database system. Until this is the case, staff records are kept on systems in BERR and DCSF, depending on which Department the individual transferred from.
	There have been no formal processes in the two Departments for gathering, validating and maintaining such records. It is therefore likely that any answer given could not be guaranteed to be accurate.

Departmental Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of inquiries received from the public his Department responded to  (a) within a week,  (b) within 14 days,  (c) within 28 days,  (d) within two months,  (e) within three months,  (f) in over three months and  (g) in over a year in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: This Department does not hold the information in the format requested. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has only been in existence since June 2007 and brings together functions from two former Departments, science and innovation responsibilities from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and skills, further and higher education from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Our performance for correspondence from MPs and peers will be published annually by way of a written ministerial statement. Performance figures for DfES and DTI for 2006, were published on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, column 101WS. Overall performance for all DIUS correspondence (MPs, peers and the public) will be given in the Department's annual report which will be available at:
	www.dius.gov.uk

Departmental Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what databases are  (a) owned and  (b) maintained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created by the Prime Minister on 28 June 2007.
	As far as we are aware, we believe the following represents databases that are owned/maintained by the Department or its agencies.
	
		
			  Database name  Owned  Maintained 
			  DIUS   
			 UK Innovation Survey (UK Part of Community Innovation) Research Base/SIA SIA/ONS 
			 Certex (Certificate of Experience) DIUS ECCTIS Ltd. 
			 Section 97 DIUS DIUS 
			 Student Loan Business Service (SLBS)(1) DIUS HMRC 
			 Centre for Revenue Intelligence Images(2) DIUS HMRC 
			 East Kilbride Student Loans Unit (EKSLU) Offline Management Tools(3) DIUS HMRC 
			
			  UK Intellectual Property Office   
			 Trade Marks Register UK-IPO UK-IPO 
			 Patents Register UK-IPO UK-IPO 
			 Designs Register UK-IPO UK-IPO 
			 Human Resources UK-IPO UK-IPO 
			 Financial Information UK-IPO UK-IPO 
			 IP Crime Information UK-IPO UK-IPO 
			
			  National Weights and Measures Laboratory   
			 Goldmine Contact Database NWML NWML 
			 NWML internet site information database NWML NWML 
			 NWML intranet site information database LNWML NWML 
			 ROMS internet site information and inquiry database ROHS Section, NWML ROHS Section, NWML 
			 Trakker Enquiry Database NWML NWML 
			 SUN finance database Finance Dept, NWML Finance Dept, NWML 
			 Nortel phone system database Records Dept, NWML Records Dept, NWML 
			 Central Time work recording database NWML NWML 
			 Calibration Automatic Weighing system database Calibration section, NWML Calibration section, NWML 
			 Projects Handler database Type and Test dept. Type and Test dept. 
			 Local Authority Data Enforcement dept. Enforcement dept. 
			
			  Lifelong Learning UK   
			 Staff Individualised Records LLUK LLUK 
			
			  Institute for Learning   
			 Teacher Professional Registrations IfL IfL 
			
			  Quality Improvement Agency   
			 Internal QIAHR Databases QIA Yes 
			 HR Management Statistics   
			 Recruitment Database   
			 Monthly payroll reports   
			 Performance Review Database   
			 Training Records Database   
			 Personal Details Database   
			 Sickness Absence Database   
			 Employees Contracts Database   
			 Probationary Reviews Database   
			 QIA Programme Specific Databases QIA Yes 
			 STARs   
			 STAR 2007: nomination details   
			 STAR 2007: Beacon shortlisted nominations   
			 STAR 2007: short and long-listed nominations (including citations)   
			 STAR 20007: shortlisted (including winners and highly commended   
			 High Quality Managers. High Quality managers: Cohorts 1 and 2 QIA Yes 
			 High Quality Managers; Equality and diversity information   
			 QIA Research. QIA R and D Suppliers Registerapproved suppliers QIA Yes 
			
			  Student Loans Company (SLC)   
			 CLASS Customer demographic details, applications, loan accounts and financial transactions: payments and repayments. Customer associated third party names and addresses SLC Authorised SLC staff, Third party authorised users e.g. Resource Handling Limited (External company dealing with call centre overflow) 
			 Protocol Customer demographic details and applications. Sponsor demographic details and financial information SLC Authorised Local Authority personnel, customer self service, Authorised SLC staff 
			 HEI database. HEI details, course, term data and fee amounts SLC Authorised SLC staff 
			 Tallyman. Customers in arrears, or Trace SLC Authorised SLC staff 
			 Hunter. Fraud detection and management database SLC Authorised SLC staff 
			 Caseflow. Customers in Litigation SLC Authorised SLC staff 
			 Loan Servicing System (LSS). Archive data pre-1997. Used in litigation cases SLC Authorised SLC staff 
			 Data Warehouse. Historical and recent trend analysis for Customer Financial Transactions plus HE and FE application details SLC Authorised SLC, LA and DIUS staff 
			
			  Foundation Degree Forward (fdf)   
			 Foundation degree course listings(4) fdf fdf 
			 (1) The Student Loans Business Service holds the information on customers(graduates) who have entered repayment. (2) This system holds information on new customers (i.e. new graduates) into the repayments system who have failed to match up to an employer using existing national insurance numbers. (3) This system is an Access database which allows for sifting of all the information held on SLBS, which is limited in its scope. The EKSLU Offline Management Tools allow the prioritisation and management of student loan repayment cases. (4 )part of fdf's official website listing Foundation degree courses by subject area, region, institution or keyword. As well as the course title, it shows both the validating HE Institution and delivering institution.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many staff in educational Departments within his responsibilities are on suspension; and how many of these have been on suspension for over 12 months;
	(2)  how many civil servants in his Department are suspended; and on what grounds.

David Lammy: There are currently no employees of DIUS who are suspended.

Departmental ICT

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many hits the  (a) most popular website and  (b) least popular website run by his Department has received since 1 January.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills corporate website was launched on 28 June 2007, following the machinery of Government changes and creation of the new Department. The numbers of hits for the most and least popular websites that come under the DIUS remit are as follows:
	
		
			  Website  Number of hits( 1)  from 1 January 2007 to 25 October 2007 
			 The Intellectual Property Office (www.ipo.gov.uk) 236,301,690 
			 Technology Strategy Board (www.berr.gov.uk/innovation/technologystrategyboard/index.html (2)82,370 
			 (1) Please note that a 'hit' is simply a successful request to the web server from a visitor's browser for any type of file, whether an image, HTML page, or any other type. A single web page can cause many hits, one for each image included on the page. (2) Figures are form page views from 1 July 2007 to 25 October 2007 as hits are not measured for this site.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Wikipedia entries have been  (a) created and  (b) amended (i) by (A) special advisers, (B) Ministers and (C) communications officials and (ii) from IP addresses of (1) special advisers, (2) Ministers and (3) communications officials in (x) his Department and its predecessor and (y) its agencies since August 2005.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was created by the Prime Minister on 28 June 2007.
	We are not aware of any Wikipedia entries that have been  (a) created and  (b) amended (i) by (A) special advisers, (B) Ministers and (C) communications officials and (ii) from IP addresses of (1) special advisers, (2) Ministers and (3) communications officials.
	However, any input to such websites would be done in accordance with the civil service code which states that civil servants should use resources only for the authorised public purposes for which they are provided and make sure public money and other resources are used properly and efficiently.

Departmental Manpower

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of staff in his Department dealing with universities are graduates of Oxford or Cambridge university.

David Lammy: While the Department is collecting information about professional skills as part of the Skills Audit which is being undertaken, the survey does not ask for the origin of university degrees and we do not currently have a record of what proportion of staff in DIUS (or the Department for Children, Schools and Families) dealing with universities are graduates of Oxford or Cambridge universities.
	This information could be gathered only at disproportional cost.

Departmental Marketing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many DIUS-branded plastic bags his Department has procured, and at what cost, since it was created.

David Lammy: DIUS has not produced any plastic bags with DIUS branding since the Department was created.

Departmental NDPBs

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the  (a) budget and  (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled.

David Lammy: Details of the budget and remit of each non-departmental public body (NDPB) for which my Department is responsible, with the name of the chairman and their remuneration, is published in the relevant Department's Annual Report 2007 and in Public Bodies 2007.
	For DIUS NDPBs which were formerly the responsibility of DfES, this information can be found on the Department for Children, Schools and Families website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/pdfs/deptreport2007.pdf
	and
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/ndpb/
	The following NDPBs are the responsibility of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills:
	Construction Skills;
	Engineering Construction Industry Training Board;
	Higher Education Funding Council for England;
	Investors in People;
	Learning and Skills Council;
	Office for Fair Access;
	Quality Improvement Agency;
	Student Loans Company;
	Sector Skills Development Agency.
	British Hallmarking Council (part of NWML);
	Design Council;
	Technology Strategy Board.
	Research Councils:
	Arts and Humanities Research Council;
	Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council;
	Economic and Social Research Council;
	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council;
	Medical Research Council;
	Natural Environment Research Council
	Science and Technology Facilities Council.
	Council for Science and Technology;
	Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property;
	National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Artsfrom DCMS.
	Information on NDPBs formerly the responsibility of the DTI is published in their Public Bodies Report, which can be found at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/about/strategy-objectives/annual-spending/page40391.html
	Information on chairmen's bonuses are contained in each NDPB's annual report and accounts, which are normally available on the body's website. Composite information is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Consultations

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many citizens' juries were arranged for his Department in each year between 1997 and June 2007; which organisations were commissioned to conduct each citizens' jury; and what the cost was of each.

David Lammy: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. No citizen's juries were arranged between the Department's creation and the end of June.

Departmental Recycling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's policy is on recycling.

David Lammy: All recycling for my Department is carried out on our behalf, as a shared service, by the Departments of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Children Schools and Families. Therefore, answers given on behalf of those Departments include my Department as well.

Departmental Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many public service agreement targets his Department has; and of these, how many are targets shared with another Department.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has lead responsibility for two of the Government's public service agreements (PSAs) for the period 2008-11:
	PSA 2: Improve the skills of the population, on the way to ensuring a world-class skills base by 2020;
	PSA 4: Promote world class science and innovation in the UK.
	Each of the PSAs is underpinned by six outcome-focused performance indicators. In the case of the Skills PSA, each indicator has a specific target attached. Details of these performance indicators and associated targets can be found in the relevant PSA delivery agreements, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
	The key performance indicators for the PSAs are owned by DIUS, but responsibility for delivery of progress against them is shared across a number of Government Departments and other delivery partners. The relevant delivery agreements provide details of the roles of our key delivery partners.
	DIUS has an important role to play in delivering progress on many of the Government's other PSAs, but does not share ownership of any of the targets underpinning them. Details of DIUS's role in relation to PSAs led by other Government Departments are set out in the associated delivery agreements.

Departmental Stationery

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much letter headed notepaper his Department has bought which is headed with Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills headers; and at what cost.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills has bought supplies of letter headed paper to date at a cost of just over 2,000, at an average cost of about 37 per 1,000 sheets.

Departmental Stationery

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much letter headed notepaper his Department has bought which is headed with both Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Department for Children, Schools and Families headers; and at what cost.

David Lammy: Central records held by the Department do not indicate how much letter headed paper which is specifically jointly headed has been acquired by the Department.

Departmental Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what trade union programmes are funded by his Department that pertain to training in  (a) arbitration,  (b) industrial action,  (c) employment rights and  (d) work as a shop steward.

David Lammy: DIUS was created in July 2007 by the amalgamation of elements from BERR (formerly DTI) and DCSF (formerly DfES).
	The Department is currently defining its policies and procedures around the provision for trade union support. As a consequence it has not yet established such training programmes.

Departmental Vehicles

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many vehicles were  (a) owned and  (b) purchased by his Department and pro-rata its predecessor in each of the last 10 years.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills does not own, and has never purchased, any vehicles. Its predecessors were the Department for Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Skills and I refer to the recent answers given by my right hon. Friends in the respective successor Departments: Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; and Children, Schools and Families.

Educational Institutions: Listed Buildings

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many educational establishments in receipt of funding from his Department are accommodated in listed buildings; and how many of these have been designated as in need of significant repair.

Bill Rammell: The English higher education sector has listed buildings which amount to 2,052,293 m(2)( )at around 100 institutions. We do not have figures for the number of individual listed buildings but estimate that this floor space represents around 2,000 buildings. We do not have information showing the number of listed buildings designated as in need of significant repair.
	Within the FE sector a total of 107 FE colleges submitted returns in 2006 saying that they had listed buildings. The total gross internal floor of listed buildings based on those returns is 446,477 m(2).

Graduates: Employment

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which 10 university degree subjects had the 10  (a) highest and  (b) lowest proportions of graduates entering employment immediately after graduation in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available data are taken from the Destination of Leavers in Higher Education (DLHE) survey and are given in the first table.
	The DLHE survey captures the first destinations of graduates, six months after leaving university. The most recent information available is for those who graduated in 2005/06 who were surveyed in early 2007.
	The table contains a complete breakdown of destination categories, and shows that those graduates who are not included in the proportion in employment are not necessarily unemployed (some are in further study, some are not available for employment and the rest are unemployed).
	Data on the longer term career paths of graduates (shown in the second table) demonstrates that over time the employment of graduates in all subjects increases.
	
		
			  Table 1: UK and EU domiciled first degree graduates by destination category and degree subjectdestinations six months after graduationEnglish higher education institutionsacademic year 2005/06 
			Of which:  
			  Subject  Total of known destination( 1)  Employed( 2)  Work and further study  Further study only  Assumed to be unemployed  Not available for employment/other  Percentage in employment( 3) 
			 Medicine and dentistry 4,545 3,960 270 270 10 35 93.0 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 14,795 11,320 1,460 920 620 470 86.4 
			 Architecture, building and planning 3,505 2,315 620 310 125 135 83.8 
			 Education 7,535 5,545 710 825 235 220 83.0 
			 Veterinary science 385 290 15 65 5 5 80.2 
			 Mass communications and documentation 5,440 4,020 285 350 445 340 79.1 
			 Business and administrative studies 19,740 13,260 2,160 1,675 1,320 1,320 78.1 
			 Creative arts and design 18,650 12,635 1,395 1,850 1,615 1,155 75.2 
			 Computer science 10,065 6,865 635 955 1,105 505 74.5 
			 Engineering and technology 8,715 5,765 715 1,075 680 480 74.4 
			 Combined 4,045 2,155 815 310 220 550 73.3 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 1,295 845 100 165 75 105 73.2 
			 Social studies 16,970 10,625 1,725 2,395 1,020 1,210 72.7 
			 Biological sciences 16,685 9,735 1,510 3,315 1,015 1,110 67.4 
			 Languages 12,350 7,185 1,020 2,495 765 885 66.5 
			 Historical and philosophical studies 9,550 5,170 870 2,080 605 820 63.3 
			 Mathematical sciences 3,185 1,505 480 770 180 255 62.3 
			 Physical sciences 8,065 4,225 645 2,105 540 545 60.4 
			 Law 7,845 2,900 815 3,320 330 485 47.3 
			 Total 173,370 110,325 16,245 25,250 10,915 10,635 73.0 
			 (1) Covers graduates from full-time and part-time courses. Overall, around 80 per cent. of graduates provide details of their destinations. (2) Includes full-time paid work (including self-employed), part-time paid work and voluntary/unpaid work. (3) Those in full-time paid work (including self-employed), part-time paid work, voluntary/unpaid work, and work and further study, as a percentage of all those with known destination.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five so components may not sum to totals.  Source: HESA Destination of Leavers in Higher Education Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: UK and EU domiciled first degree graduates by destination category and degree subjectgraduates qualifying in 2002/03 by destination as at November 2006UK higher education institutions 
			  Percentage 
			   Activity on 27 November 2006
			  Subject  Employed( 1)  Work and further study  Further study only  Assumed to be unemployed  Not available for employment/other  In employment( 2)  Base (unweighted)  Base (weighted) 
			 Medicine and dentistry 81 15 2 1 2 96 437 336 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 91 4 2 0 3 95 92 141 
			 Education 90 5 2 1 2 95 1,363 506 
			 Mass communications and documentation 88 5 2 2 2 94 406 343 
			 Business and administrative studies 83 11 2 2 3 94 2,060 1,779 
			 Law 81 11 4 3 1 92 662 554 
			 Computer science 89 2 6 2 1 91 1,053 937 
			 Social studies 79 11 6 2 2 90 1,535 1,346 
			 Engineering and technology 83 6 8 1 1 89 783 825 
			 Architecture, building and planning 82 7 10 1 1 89 241 242 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 78 10 8 1 3 88 1,494 978 
			 Mathematical sciences 72 15 10 2 1 87 433 340 
			 Languages 78 9 6 2 5 87 1,372 1,100 
			 Creative arts and design 82 4 4 6 4 86 1,157 1,356 
			 Historical and philosophical studies 79 7 8 3 4 85 793 821 
			 Combined 65 15 9 5 6 80 87 117 
			 Physical sciences 71 9 13 4 3 80 725 804 
			 Biological sciences 66 13 15 3 3 78 1,490 1,444 
			 Veterinary science   25 35 
			 Total 79 9 7 2 3 88 16,208 14,004 
			 (1) Includes full-time paid work (including self-employed), part-time paid work and voluntary/unpaid work. (2) Includes those in full-time paid work (including self-employed), part-time paid work, voluntary/unpaid work, and work and further study.  Note: The original survey data (the unweighted figures in the table) were weighted to correct for differential sampling and response rates. The sample size for some subjects was not large enough to provide reliable results.  Source: HESA Destination of Leavers in Higher Education Longitudinal Survey, This was conducted in November 2006 and covered a sample of graduates who had qualified in 2002/03.

Higher Education: Finance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make it his policy to exempt students of the Relate Institute at Doncaster college from the decision to reduce funding for students studying for an equivalent or lower qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: No students currently studying equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQs) will be affected by these changes. In future, our policy of redistributing grant will widen participation and mean that more of the million people of working age who do not have a first higher-level qualification, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds, will be able to benefit from participating in higher education. There can be no exemptions for particular institutions and Doncaster college will remain responsible for decisions on how it allocates its overall budget for higher education. However, in finalising our proposals in the light of consultation we have decided to make a number of adjustments:
	(a) We have asked HEFCE to increase the part-time teaching premium from the 20 million originally put forward in the consultation to 30 million. This is a response to concerns about overall impact on part-time provision and the sustainability of subjects that are of particular interest to those who might study on a part-time basis, perhaps after a career break;
	(b) There will be a review mechanism each year starting in December 2008 to look at individual subjects of particular economic or social importance. We are sure it would be wrong for us to rush into making special arrangements for any subjects, other than those which had already been identified, before any changes to ELQs, as requiring support in the public interest (such as medicine, initial teacher training teaching, science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, area-based studies, and modern foreign languages). But we are asking the Funding Council each year to look at levels of demand both for exempt or protected subjects and at any other subjects which might in future be regarded as key because of their economic or social significance, and in cases where there is evidence of a fall in demand advise us on the best way forward:
	(c) The text of the HEFCE Grant Letter says I hope you will also carefully consider the position of institutions most affected by this change to the funding rules, in allocating the new funded places that are being created.
	(d) We want to set on record what the position will be in three years time. All we have asked HEFCE to do is to find savings of about 100 million a year by 2010-11. Anything beyond that has to be speculation, but no-one is going to fall off the edge of a funding cliff either now or in three years' time. Indeed, the reality is that no strategic decision has been taken about whether to reallocate further ELQ funding after 2010-11.

Higher Education: Mature Students

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people aged between  (a) 30 and 39,  (b) 40 and 49,  (c) 50 and 59 and  (d) 60 years and above completed an equivalent or lower qualification in (i) 2007, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2005.

Bill Rammell: The data are not held centrally to answer this question in precisely the way it has been asked. However, in 2006-07, there were some 32,000 students aged between 30 and 39 and some 45,000 students aged 40 and over studying equivalent or lower level students. All existing students studying for such qualifications will continue to attract institutional funding until they complete their courses. The redistribution of about 100 million by 2010 away from those entering higher education to study for such qualifications will increase and widen participation and enable the Government to support over 20,000 new students (on a full-time equivalent basis) more than would otherwise have been the case either entering higher education for the first time or progressing to higher degrees.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many members of the senior civil service in his Department have received an honour.

David Lammy: The relevant data are not held by the Department.

Intimidation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many cases of bullying have been reported in his Department in each of the last 12 months.

David Lammy: DIUS was created in July 2007 by the amalgamation of elements from BERR (formerly DTI) and DCSF (formerly DfES). As a consequence it has not existed for the 12 months specified.
	However in the interim period there have been no cases of bullying reported by staff. Nor are any cases currently reported.

Learning and Skills Council: Expenditure

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of the additional support budget of the Train to Gain programme was spent in each English region by the Learning and Skills Council in 2006-07.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 12 November 2007,  Official Report, column 57W, to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes).

Obesity: Publications

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the documents  (a) Tackling Obesities: Future Choices and ( b) Tackling Obesities Future Choices - Obesity System Atlas cost to (i) produce and (ii) to distribute.

David Lammy: The production costs, i.e. design and printing, of the Tackling Obesities: Future Choices report were approx 3,300 and for Tackling Obesities: Future ChoicesObesity Systems Atlas were approx 8,600. The cost of distributing the Tackling Obesities Future Choices are likely to be approx 5,900 and for the Obesity Systems Atlas 2,500

Overseas Students

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what penalties would be imposed on a college approved to provide education for overseas students found to be falsifying information to retain its approved status; how many such penalties have been issued in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Since 1 January 2005, colleges which want to recruit international students have to appear on the register of education and training providers. To remain on the register, colleges agree to abide by the terms and conditions of registration, including compliance with the immigration rules. To date, 143 colleges have been found to be in breach of the immigration rules, following investigation by the BIA and therefore removed from the register. They are therefore no longer able to recruit international students.

Overseas Students: Vietnam

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Vietnamese nationals are studying in the UK's higher education system; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information shows that the number of Vietnamese domiciled students in UK higher education institutions for the 2006-07 academic year was 1,685. Figures for 2007-08 will be available in January 2009. Numbers have increased by 16 per cent. from the previous year. This is good news. International students such as those from Vietnam bring an international perspective to our campuses, they help maintain the UK's world class research base, and they provide a valuable source of income for our universities and indeed for the economy more widely. The Global Value report published by the British Council in September estimated that the total value of international HE students to the UK economy was in the region of 5 billion per year.

Research: Finance

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been transferred from other budgets to allow the research councils to provide 80 per cent. of the full economic costs of the research that they sponsor; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: None, no funding has been transferred from other budgets.

Road Traffic Offences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) parking tickets and  (b) speeding fines were issued for vehicles used by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse of those penalties was in each year.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills was created in June 2007. The following information relates to the period since then.
	Parking fines and speeding tickets incurred by DIUS staff when using vehicles for official business are not met by the public purse.
	The Department also uses vehicles provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency, which is the responsibility of my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport. I refer to the answer in respect of that agency given by my right hon. Friend on 5 February 2008.

Student Loans Company: ICT

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the IT system which co-ordinates confirmation of student loan repayments between the Student Loans Company and HM Revenue and Customs; and whether this system has failed or generated errors in the last three years.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 December 2007
	There are a number of data exchanges between the Student Loans Company (SLC) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to enable the repayment of student loans. Information is principally exchanged to match student loan borrowers with live employment records, provide repayment information and confirm that employers need to be sent notice to start and stop making student loan deductions. The SLC is not aware of any IT system failures or errors that have prevented the exchange of data with HMRC in the last three years.
	The Government take the protection of personal data extremely seriously. The provisions catering for the sharing of information in the Sale of Student Loans Bill will strengthen the framework for legal protection of data in respect of all loans, whether sold or unsold. The Bill will extend an existing criminal sanction prohibiting the wrongful disclosure of HMRC information outside the terms of the legislative gateway.
	Data exchanges between the SLC and HMRC have all been reviewed following the Chancellor's statement on 20 November to ensure they meet the appropriate security standards. No breaches of data protection protocols have occurred in respect of student loan administration.

Student Wastage

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time students under 22 years old withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time mature students withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001.

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) students under 22 years old and (ii) mature students withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: The information available on non-continuation of higher education students is shown in Tables 1 and 2. The figures are taken from the Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Table 1 shows the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to higher education institutions in England, who do not continue in higher education after their first year. Table 2 shows the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time other undergraduate entrants to higher education institutions in England who do not continue in higher education after their first year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year 
			  Academic year  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Young (under 21) 7.0 7.3 7.2 6.8 
			 Mature 14.8 15.1 15.4 14.0 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of UK-domiciled full-time other undergraduate entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year 
			  Academic year  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Young (under 21) 16.3 16.1 17.5 16.6 
			 Mature 15.8 14.5 14.3 14.8 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	Figures for 2005-06 will become available in 2008.
	HESA do not publish figures on the percentage of part-time students not continuing in higher education after their first year.
	According to the figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate for Type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries.

Student Wastage

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students aged over 21 years withdrew from  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time higher education courses in each year since 2003; and what the most frequently given reasons were for withdrawal.

Bill Rammell: The standard measure of non-completion is the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters of all ages who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution. The available information for higher education institutions in England is shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters at higher education institutions in England, who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution 
			   Percentage 
			 2000/01 15.0 
			 2001/02 13.8 
			 2002/03 13.9 
			 2003/04 14.4 
			 2004/05 13.8 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. 
		
	
	Projected non-completion rates are not available for part-time starters, and are not available broken down by age groups.
	The available information on reasons for withdrawing from higher education courses is shown in tables 2 and 3. This information covers students, aged over 21, leaving first degree courses at English higher education institutions in each year, and includes students in their first, final and intervening years of study, irrespective of the year in which they began their course.
	
		
			  Table 2: UK-domiciled full-time students aged over 21 years, on first degree courses at English higher education institutions, who left their course 
			   Academic year 
			  Reason for leaving  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			 Successful completion of course 58,700 61,785 62,370 64,550 64,215 
			 Academic failure/left in bad standing 2,395 2,335 2,460 2,645 2,990 
			 Transferred to another institution 415 430 395 760 560 
			 Health reasons 450 465 435 425 460 
			 Death 45 45 55 50 50 
			 Financial reasons 480 480 500 495 410 
			 Personal reasons and dropped out 2,180 2,345 2,320 2,305 2,325 
			 Written off after lapse of time 820 1,125 1,395 1,710 1,435 
			 Exclusion 160 230 285 285 310 
			 Gone into employment 175 175 175 160 160 
			 Other 1,525 1,550 2,065 1,820 1,630 
			 Completion of course, result unknown 605 715 500 365 350 
			 Unknown 815 670 525 605 415 
			 Total who left course not having transferred 9,645 10,135 10,715 10,870 10,540 
			 Total who left in academic year 68,755 72,350 73,480 76,180 75,315 
			  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest five so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 :  UK-domiciled part -time students aged over 21 years, on first degree courses at English higher education institutions, who left their course 
			   Academic year 
			  Reason for leaving  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			 Successful completion of course 15,000 22,115 24,915 28,045 25,645 
			 Academic failure/left in bad standing 780 860 1,005 1,010 1,365 
			 Transferred to another institution 80 85 60 405 195 
			 Health reasons 220 210 200 195 190 
			 Death 25 105 110 90 60 
			 Financial reasons 160 120 165 175 185 
			 Personal reasons and dropped out 1,645 1,675 1,485 1,670 1,855 
			 Written off after lapse of time 600 640 740 850 870 
			 Exclusion 30 1,105 1,230 1,450 545 
			 Gone into employment 160 190 145 140 165 
			 Other 960 950 1,170 1,415 880 
			 Completion of course, result unknown 355 290 295 250 240 
			 Unknown 445 755 1,055 760 370 
			 Total who left course not having transferred 5,375 6,905 7,600 8,005 6,730 
			 Total who left in academic year 20,460 29,105 32,570 36,455 32,575 
			  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest five so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The reason for leaving information on the HESA student record should be treated with some caution, because the 'other personal reasons and dropped out' and 'other' fields are used extensively throughout the time-series. Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded, however it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons.
	Tables 1, 2 and 3 are based on different populations of students. Table 1 covers the cohort of full-time first degree starters of all ages in each year. Table 2 covers full-time first degree students aged 21 years and over leaving their courses in each year, regardless of the year of study or which year they began their course. Table 3 covers part-time first degree students aged 21 years and over leaving their courses in each year, regardless of the year of study or which year they began their course.
	According to figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate for type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries.

Students

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of students in English universities were from  (a) England,  (b) the UK,  (c) other EU countries and  (d) non-EU countries in each year from 1990 to 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the table. Figures for 2006-07 will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of higher education enrolments at English institutions( 1 ) by domicile: academic years 19900-91 to 1993-94 
			Number  Percentage 
			   All enrolments  UK domiciles  Overseas domiciles  UK domiciles  Overseas domiciles 
			 1990-91 873,150 807,760 65,390 92.5 7.5 
			 1991-92 972,100 900,740 71,360 92.7 7.3 
			 1992-93 1,083,455 995,195 88,260 91.9 8.1 
			 1993-94 1,190,585 1,087,655 102,930 91.4 8.6 
			 (1) Includes HE level students taught in Higher Education and Further Education establishments.  Notes: 1. Enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest five, percentages to the nearest 0.1 per cent. 2. Proportions are based upon figures calculated on a snapshot basis as at 1 December. 3. Figures cover postgraduate and undergraduate students on full-time and part-time courses.  Source: The Universities Statistical Record (USR) and the English Education Department. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and proportion of higher education enrolments at English higher education institutions by domicile academic years 1994-95 to 2005-06 
			Number  Percentage 
			   All enrolments  English domiciles  Other UK domiciles  Other EU domiciles  Non-EU overseas domicile  English domiciles  Other UK domiciles( 1)  Other EU domiciles  Non-EU overseas domiciles 
			 1994-95 1,277,165 1,058,755 93,390 49,130 75,890 82.9 7.3 3.8 5.9 
			 1995-96 1,409,700 1,183,555 74,420 65,130 86,595 84.0 5.3 4.6 6.1 
			 1996-97 1,431,760 1,202,975 75,100 67,120 86,565 84.0 5.2 4.7 6.0 
			 1997-98 1,465,775 1,221,615 77,020 74,400 92,740 83.3 5.3 5.1 6.3 
			 1998-99 1,503,585 1,257,945 73,325 79,435 92,875 83.7 4.9 5.3 6.2 
			 1999-2000 1,510,545 1,260,215 73,190 79,640 97,500 83.4 4.8 5.3 6.5 
			 2000-01 1,552,700 1,288,985 77,405 79,270 107,040 83.0 5.0 5.1 6.9 
			 2001-02 1,594,365 1,326,030 76,510 73,890 117,940 83.2 4.8 4.6 7.4 
			 2002-03 1,677,535 1,382,895 79,490 72,490 142,660 82.4 4.7 4.3 8.5 
			 2003-04 1,755,430 1,439,380 84,020 70,775 161,250 82.0 4.8 4.0 9.2 
			 2004-05 1,800,675 1,469,950 88,615 78,365 163,750 81.6 4.9 4.4 9.1 
			 2005-06 1,814,865 1,478.295 88,970 82,625 164,975 81.5 4.9 4.6 9.1 
			 (1) 1994-5 was the first year the HESA student record was collected. As such there were a higher number of UK students unknown domicile'. In 1994-05 the proportion was 3.0 per cent. whereas in 1995-06 the proportion was 0.8 per cent.  Notes: 1 Enrolment numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5, percentages to the nearest 0.1 per cent. 2. Proportions are based upon figures calculated on a snapshot basis as at the 1 December to maintain a consistent time series across all years. 3. Figures cover Postgraduate and Undergraduate students on full-time and part-time courses.  Source: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	International students bring an international perspective to our campuses, they help maintain the UK's world class research base, and they provide a valuable source of income for our universities and indeed for the economy more widely. The Global Value report published by the British Council in September estimated that the total value of international HE students to the UK economy was in the region of 5 billion per year.
	The growth in international students is not at the expense of home and EU students. Student numbers from those domiciled in the UK and the EU have also grown. There is no question of UK students being squeezed out of the market by international students. International students are recruited in addition to the home (UK and other EU) students, whose places are subsidised by the Higher Education Funding Councils. International students pay the full cost of their tuition.

Students: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what activities were recently undertaken as part of Student Finance week; and what the cost was of each.

Bill Rammell: The information is as follows.
	Student Finance Week 2008 was a week long programme of PR activity
	The aim of the activity was to make the target audience aware of and direct them to view the new Student Finance DVD. The DVD contains detailed information on the package of financial support available for students entering higher education from September 2008
	The activity was aimed at young people aged 16-19 and their parents
	The total cost was 33,925.00
	The activity provided an estimated 67 million opportunities to see
	Based on the national press articles only, the reach is estimated as:
	Parents of 16 to 18-year-olds with a household income of 25,000 to 60,000articles reached 33.4 per cent. of the audience
	Parents of all 16 to 18-year-oldsarticles reached 32.6 per cent. of the audience
	16 to 18-year-olds with a household income of 25,000 to 60,000articles reached 29.3 per cent. of the audience
	16 to 18-year-oldsarticles reached 31.9 per cent. of the audience.

Students: Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will ensure that the Higher Education and Funding Council for England provides funding for students seeking postgraduate training in health, education, local government, food safety and hydrology.

Bill Rammell: We have no plans to change arrangements for funding of postgraduate provision, except in those cases where a student already has a postgraduate qualification at an equivalent or higher level than the one for which he or she proposes to study. For such students, funding will be available for students on courses which are co-funded by employers, including those in the public sector as well as the private sector. That is and will be our priority as we respond to the challenges identified by Sandy Leitch.

Students: Loans

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people continued to make payments to the Student Loan Company (SLC) after their incomes had dropped below the repayment threshold in each year since the SLC was established; what the mean number of months for which student loan deductions continued after the repayer ceased to be eligible to repay was in these cases; how many individuals received  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four and  (e) five or more repayments subsequent to their becoming ineligible; what the (i) median and (ii) mean amount repaid in total to each individual was; and what the mean size was of the individual rebates made as a consequence.

Bill Rammell: Neither the Department nor the Student Loans Company (SLC) hold the information requested.
	For borrowers covered by the UK tax system, income-contingent loan repayments (deductions) are taken by the employer and passed to HMRC, on a weekly or monthly basis if the borrower's income exceeds the relevant threshold. If a deduction is taken in error when income does not exceed the threshold then the relevant deductions are refunded by the employer. The SLC does not hold information about these deductions.
	However, in some cases a borrower's income for the year may be less than the threshold overall, but their earnings above the threshold in one or more pay periods. Such situations only become clear at the end of the financial year and the borrower may claim a refund from the SLC. (Note that such borrowers had deductions taken correctly when they were above the earnings threshold in the relevant pay period.) Available data on such refunds are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of SLC refunds to income-contingent loan borrowers below the earnings threshold at the end of the year, England 
			  Calendar year  Number of refunds( 1) 
			 2003 50 
			 2004 110 
			 2005 190 
			 2006 310 
			 2007 (to 10 October) 310 
			 (1) Number of loans rounded to nearest 10  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of income-contingent loan borrowers( 1)  who received SLC refunds because they were below the earnings threshold at the end of the year, by numbers of refunds, England 
			   Number of refunds 
			 One 730 
			 Two 90 
			 Three 20 
			 Four or more 10 
			   
			 Total 840 
			 (1) Refunds up to 10 Oct 2007. Number of borrowers rounded to nearest 10.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	The mean amount of SLC refund was 130.
	Borrowers with the older mortgage-style loans can apply for deferment of repayments if their income is below the relevant threshold. The SLC holds income details only for those mortgage-style loans borrowers who apply for a deferment. Some borrowers may wish to continue repayment rather than apply for deferment. Indeed borrowers threshold overall, but their earnings above the threshold in one or more pay periods.

Students: Loans

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Access to Learning Loans were paid because of delays in the student loans system in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: The information is not available.

Students: Loans

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether he plans to sell off student loans accrued by non-UK EU citizens as part of the sale of the student loan book.

Bill Rammell: We envisage that the sale of student loans will be a long-term programme, and in principle loans to non-UK EU citizens could be included in due course . However, tuition fee loans have only been available to non-UK EU citizens since the academic year 2006-07, and the first graduates will not enter repayment until 2010, so we do not expect such loans to be included within the first sales during 2008-09.

Students: Qualifications

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills by what means he intends to verify that students from  (a) other EU member states,  (b) England and Wales and  (c) non-EU countries do not have a graduate qualification when applying for equivalent or lower qualification courses.

Bill Rammell: Overseas students from non-EU and associated countries have not received public funding for over 25 years irrespective of the course qualifications they study. For other students, HEFCE will shortly be advising on the way this is dealt with. Most people will and do obey the rules, but there will need to be a random checking process to corroborate that particular students do not have a first HE qualification. That will need to be done in a way that gets the balance right between protection and not an overly bureaucratic system. In all cases HEFCE will work with institutions to audit feasible student numbers and final HEFCE funding will be determined on a basis of audited returns through a robust audit process.

Teachers: Training

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of entrants to  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teacher training courses were (i) male and (ii) female in each year since 1997, broken down by subject for secondary school trainees.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The following tables show the proportion of first year trainees, at the end of the first year of their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course, who are male and female for:
	1. Mainstream trainees between 1998/99 and 2005/06.
	2. Employment Based ITT (EBITT) between 2001/02 and 2005/06.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Mainstream( 1,2,3,4,5)  first year trainees 
			  Percentage 
			   1998/99  1999/2000  2000/01  2001/02 
			   Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male 
			 Primary and secondary 74 26 74 26 75 25 75 25 
			  
			 Primary 87 13 87 13 87 13 88 12 
			  
			 Secondary 63 37 63 37 64 36 64 36 
			  
			 Art and design 75 25 76 24 79 21 80 20 
			 Business studies 53 47 56 44 60 40 59 41 
			 Citizenship(6,7)   61 39 
			 Design and technology 49 51 51 49 53 47 55 45 
			 English (including drama and dance) 76 24 76 24 79 21 79 21 
			 Geography 55 45 55 45 56 44 57 43 
			 History 55 45 56 44 57 43 57 43 
			 Information and communications technology 51 49 49 51 55 45 52 48 
			 Mathematics 50 50 51 49 50 50 50 50 
			 Modern languages 82 18 81 19 81 19 80 20 
			 Music 60 40 65 35 64 36 62 38 
			 Other(8) 59 41 55 45 61 39 65 35 
			 Physical education 53 47 56 44 53 47 52 48 
			 Religious education 68 32 66 34 65 35 72 28 
			 Science 59 41 59 41 62 38 59 41 
			 Vocational subjects(7) 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			   Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male 
			 Primary and secondary 75 25 74 26 74 26 74 26 
			  
			 Primary 88 12 87 13 87 13 87 13 
			  
			 Secondary 63 37 62 38 62 38 61 39 
			  
			 Art and design 79 21 79 21 76 24 80 20 
			 Business studies 59 41 59 41 60 40 53 47 
			 Citizenship(6,7) 52 48 60 40 57 43 65 35 
			 Design and technology 56 44 55 45 61 39 59 41 
			 English (including drama and dance) 78 22 78 22 79 21 80 20 
			 Geography 57 43 58 42 59 41 59 41 
			 History 56 44 55 45 58 42 58 42 
			 Information and communications technology 45 55 43 57 42 58 41 59 
			 Mathematics 46 54 47 53 45 55 48 52 
			 Modern languages 81 19 78 22 80 20 78 22 
			 Music 64 36 62 38 63 37 64 36 
			 Other(8) 66 34 66 34 66 34 67 33 
			 Physical education 55 45 51 49 54 46 49 51 
			 Religious education 61 39 71 29 67 33 68 32 
			 Science 59 41 57 43 59 41 58 42 
			 Vocational subjects(7)   51 49 59 41 57 43 
			 (1 )Mainstream includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. (2 )Performance profiles data is collected at the end of a trainees first year, therefore 2006/07 data is collected in autumn 2007 and will be published in July 2008. (3 )Trainees taking the assessment only are not included in the table above. (4 )Data prior to 1998/99 is not available in a consistent format. (5 )Data relating to the gender of trainees are not collected on entering ITT courses. This information is collected as part of the Performance Profiles data at the end of trainees' first year. (6 )2001/02 was the first year of recruitment to Citizenship. (7) '-' represents not applicable. (8 )Other includes classics, economics and social sciences.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: EBITT( 1,2,3,4,5)  first year trainees 
			  Percentage 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			   Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male 
			 Primary and secondary 69 31 65 35 64 36 67 33 68 32 
			
			 Primary 79 21 77 23 77 23 81 19 80 20 
			
			 Secondary 63 37 59 41 56 44 59 41 61 39 
			
			 Art and design 80 20 74 26 71 29 70 30 78 22 
			 Business studies 65 35 58 42 57 43 59 41 55 45 
			 Citizenship 100 0 86 14 77 23 68 32 87 13 
			 Design and technology 58 42 60 40 56 44 60 40 62 38 
			 English (including drama and dance) 79 21 78 22 75 25 79 21 78 22 
			 Geography 65 35 54 46 52 48 47 53 42 58 
			 History 56 44 51 49 58 42 55 45 52 48 
			 Information and communications technology 51 49 47 53 41 59 41 59 44 56 
			 Mathematics 49 51 45 55 41 59 48 52 47 53 
			 Modern languages 78 23 81 19 75 25 81 19 77 23 
			 Music 59 41 50 50 45 55 54 46 55 45 
			 Other(6) 67 33 63 37 67 33 78 22 77 23 
			 Physical education 33 67 40 60 31 69 40 60 39 61 
			 Religious education 69 31 45 55 55 45 62 38 59 41 
			 Science 55 45 46 54 51 49 51 49 58 42 
			 Vocational subjects(7) 78 22 66 34 73 27 
			 (1 )The gender of EBITT trainees was not collected prior to 2001/02. (2 )The gender of Teach First trainees was not collected prior to 2005/06, therefore only 2005/06 data includes Teach First trainees. (3 )The gender of Overseas Trained Teacher Programme trainees was not collected prior to 2004/05, therefore only 2004/05 and 2005/06 data includes Overseas Trained Teacher Programme trainees.  (4 )Data relating to the gender of trainees are not collected on entering ITT courses. This information is collected as part of the Performance Profiles data at the end of trainees' first year. (5 )Performance profiles data is collected at the end of a trainee's first year, therefore 2006/07 data is collected in autumn 2007 and will be published in July 2008. (6 )Other includes classics, economics and social sciences and other subjects. (7 )'-' represents not applicable.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles.

Teachers: Training

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people studied to become a teacher via  (a) a PGCE,  (b) SCITT,  (c) a BA or BSc with QTS,  (d) a BEd,  (e) the Graduate Teacher Programme,  (f) the Registered Teacher Programme and  (g) Teach First in each of the last three years, broken down by age.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the age break down of first year trainees at the end of the first year of their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course between 2003/04 and 2005/06 for:
	1. Postgraduate trainees (training towards PGCEs)
	2. School Centred ITT (SCITT) trainees (postgraduate trainees only)
	3. Undergraduate trainees (training towards BA or BSc with QTS and BEd)
	4. The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP)
	5. The Registered Teacher Programme (RTP)
	6. Teach First Programme (TFP)
	
		
			  Age breakdown of first year trainees 
			   Under 25  25-29  30-34  35-39  40-44  45-49  50-54  Over 55  Total 
			  2003/04  
			 Postgraduate 10,160 6,970 2,890 1,950 1,550 750 270 90 24,640 
			 SCITT 490 470 190 160 110 60 30 10 1,500 
			 Undergraduate 5,780 510 420 460 250 100 20 10 7,520 
			 GTP 380 1,760 890 780 770 420 170 60 5,210 
			 RTP * 30 40 40 50 30 10 * 210 
			 TFP  
			   
			  2004/05  
			 Postgraduate 10,360 7,490 2,750 1,830 1,500 700 240 60 24,930 
			 SCITT 530 550 230 170 140 80 20 10 1,710 
			 Undergraduate 6,190 470 370 400 290 90 20 * 7,820 
			 GTP 890 1,730 800 670 690 370 140 50 5,340 
			 RTP 20 40 40 50 60 50 20 10 270 
			 TFP  
			   
			  2005/06  
			 Postgraduate 10,510 7,190 2,600 1,790 1,460 740 240 70 24,600 
			 SCITT 550 520 210 160 160 70 30 10 1,700 
			 Undergraduate 6,660 470 270 310 230 100 10 * 8,070 
			 GTP 1,060 1,690 780 620 650 410 160 40 5,410 
			 RTP 10 40 30 40 50 30 10 * 220 
			 TFP 140 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 170 
			  Notes:  1. Data relating to the age of trainees are not collected on entering ITT courses. This information is collected as part of the Performance Profiles data at the end of trainees' first year.  2. Performance profiles data are collected at the end of a trainees' first year, therefore 2006/07 data are collected in autumn 2007 and will be published in July 2008. 3. The age breakdown for the Teach First Programme was not collected prior to 2005/06. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. '*' represents values which round to under 10. '' represents data which is not available. 5. Postgraduate trainees taking the assessment only are not included in the table above. 6. Postgraduate includes Universities and other Higher Education institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. 7. Undergraduate includes Universities and other Higher Education institutions, but excludes employment based routes.  Source:  TDA's Performance Profiles

Teachers: Training

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people starting  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teacher training were aged (i) under 30 and (ii) over 30 years in each of the past five years, broken down by subject for secondary school trainees.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The following tables show the proportion of trainees at the end of the first year of their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course, who are aged under 30 and 30 years and over for the last five years which data are available for:
	Mainstream trainees
	Employment Based ITT (EBITT) trainees
	
		
			  Mainstream trainees 
			  Percentage 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			   Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over 
			 Primary and Secondary 71 29 72 28 73 27 75 25 76 24 
			 Primary 73 27 75 25 75 25 77 23 79 21 
			 Secondary 70 30 69 31 70 30 73 27 73 27 
			 Art and design 70 30 70 30 70 30 71 29 72 28 
			 Business studies 54 46 61 39 60 40 67 33 71 29 
			 Citizenship 61 39 63 37 68 32 66 34 69 31 
			 Design and technology 58 42 56 44 55 45 63 37 60 40 
			 English (including dance and drama) 73 27 74 26 75 25 78 22 79 21 
			 Geography 83 17 79 21 81 19 82 18 85 15 
			 History 74 26 75 25 78 22 79 21 79 21 
			 Information and communications technology 47 53 47 53 54 46 59 41 59 41 
			 Mathematics 55 45 54 46 58 42 60 40 61 39 
			 Modern languages 70 30 70 30 68 32 69 31 69 31 
			 Music 79 21 78 22 78 22 81 19 80 20 
			 Other(1) 71 29 76 24 72 28 81 19 83 17 
			 Physical education 97 3 97 3 98 2 98 2 97 3 
			 Religious education 67 33 68 32 70 30 68 32 69 31 
			 Science 65 35 65 35 66 34 70 30 70 30 
			 Vocational subjects 51 49 66 34 60 40 
			 '' Represents data which is not available. (1) Other includes classics, economics and social sciences.  Notes: 1. Mainstream includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. 2. Performance profiles data are collected at the end of a trainee's first year, therefore 2006/07 data are collected in autumn 2007 and will be published in July 2008. 3. Trainees taking the assessment only are not included in the table. 4. Data relating to the age of trainees are not collected on entering ITT courses. This information is collected as part of the performance profiles data at the end of trainees' first year.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles 
		
	
	
		
			  EBITT trainees 
			  Percentage 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			   Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over  Under 30  30 and over 
			 Primary and Secondary 34 66 36 64 40 60 45 55 48 52 
			 Primary 33 67 37 63 36 64 41 59 42 58 
			 Secondary 34 66 36 64 42 58 47 53 52 48 
			 Art and design 41 59 48 52 47 53 51 49 46 54 
			 Business studies 10 90 31 69 33 67 47 53 50 50 
			 Citizenship 50 50 21 79 32 68 42 58 47 53 
			 Design and technology 30 70 29 71 32 68 36 64 43 57 
			 English (including dance and drama) 39 61 42 58 48 52 52 48 57 43 
			 Geography 52 48 49 51 44 56 56 44 63 37 
			 History 37 63 41 59 40 60 47 53 57 43 
			 Information and communications technology 26 74 28 72 32 68 37 63 40 60 
			 Mathematics 22 78 22 78 29 71 32 6 39 61 
			 Modern languages 45 55 44 56 43 57 48 52 53 47 
			 Music 33 67 41 59 57 43 63 37 59 41 
			 Other(1) 44 56 29 71 42 58 49 51 41 59 
			 Physical education 61 39 72 28 82 18 76 24 81 19 
			 Religious education 24 76 38 62 51 49 46 54 47 53 
			 Science 31 69 32 68 35 65 40 60 47 53 
			 Vocational subjects 9 91 41 59 34 66 
			 '' Represents data which is not available. (1) Other includes classics, economics and social sciences and other subjects.  Notes: 1. Data relating to the age of trainees are not collected on entering ITT courses. This information is collected as part of the performance profiles data at the end of trainees' first year. 2. Performance profiles data are collected at the end of a trainee's first year, therefore 2006/07 data are collected in autumn 2007 and will be published in July 2008. 3. The age breakdown for the teach first programme was not collected prior to 2005/06. Therefore only 2005/06 data includes teach first trainees. 4. The age breakdown of overseas trained teacher programme trainees was not collected prior to 2004/05, therefore only 2004/05 and 2005/06 data includes overseas trained teacher programme trainees.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles

Vocational Education

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of his staff responsible for work on skills possess a vocational qualification.

David Lammy: DIUS staff records are not yet kept on a single database system. Until this is the case, staff records are kept on systems in BERR and DCSF, depending on which Department the individual transferred from.
	There have been no formal processes in either of the two Departments for holding such data records. To gather this data to answer this question would incur disproportionate cost.

Vocational Training

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people completed training or obtained qualifications as  (a) carpenters,  (b) electricians,  (c) plumbers (water),  (d) plumbers (gas),  (e) plumbers (full central heating),  (f) bricklayers and  (g) plasterers in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Vocational Training: Manpower

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate has been made of the effect on staffing costs of the  (a) skills brokerage service and  (b) National Employer Service arising from the expansion of Train to Gain.

David Lammy: The National Employer Service (NES) is an internal division of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Any expansion of the NES will have to be managed within the overall reduction in administration costs agreed with this Department as part of the CSR settlement.
	LSC and DIUS officials are still developing the detailed plans for the expansion of brokerage, including how larger employers with between 1,000 and 4,999 staff might best be supported. These plans are being developed within the transition to a single brokerage service from April 2009, delivered through Business Link.

JUSTICE

Appeals: Incapacity Benefits

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 298W, on incapacity benefits appeals, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of upheld appeals lodged against an incapacity benefit personal capability assessment.

Bridget Prentice: The Tribunals Service works with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with whom appeals are lodged regarding decisions on incapacity benefit, to improve original decision making on an ongoing basis.
	In accordance with S81 of the Social Security Act 1998 the president of the Social Security and Child Support Appeals Tribunal provides an annual report on the standards of decision making by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Tribunals Service is currently working with DWP officials specifically to improve original decision making and the appeals process for all Jobcentre Plus benefits, including incapacity benefit. This includes reviewing decision making processes and developing standards for submissions made by Jobcentre Plus staff for the tribunal.

Approved Premises

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of people housed in approved premises are categorised as  (a) high and  (b) very high risk in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: As at 31 December 2007, the number of residents housed in approved premises in England and Wales categorised as  (a) high risk of harm was 1,329, representing 69 per cent. of the total number of residents at that date. The number categorised as  (b) very high risk of harm was 95, representing 5 per cent. These figures do not include the prospects approved premises, which are a specialist resource for offenders with substance misuse problems. If such offenders were not placed in approved premises, they would fall to be supervised elsewhere in the community. Staff in approved premises are trained in risk assessment and risk management and work closely with offender managers and with the police, in order to protect the public.
	The regional profile of offenders, by risk of harm, was as follows:
	
		
			   High risk of harm (a)  Very high risk of harm (b) 
			  Region  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 East 94 67 2 1 
			 East Midlands 108 71 17 11 
			 London 229 85 7 3 
			 North East 86 72 17 14 
			 North West 281 81 12 3 
			 South East 94 48 6 3 
			 South West 77 52 9 6 
			 Wales 62 74 7 8 
			 West of Midlands 119 54 9 4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 179 74 9 4 
			 Total 1,329 69 95 5

Courts: Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the Answer of 15 October 2007,  Official Report, column 750W, on courts: translation services, what plans Her Majesty's Courts Service has made for the collection of data relating to interpreting and translation services used in court.

Maria Eagle: Her Majesty's Court Service is considering introducing a new centralised system for the provision of interpreting services in court. The proposal for the new system is still in the planning stage and is currently undergoing review and approval. Following implementation it will be possible to collect data centrally.

Custodial Treatment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether courts will be asked to take into account prison capacity when determining whether to use short custodial sentences during the next two financial years.

David Hanson: Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the courts and it would not be appropriate to ask them to take into account capacity when sentencing. But the Government believe that short custodial sentences often lack utility and that, while serious and dangerous offenders must go to custody, less serious offenders are usually better punished in the community. We will always ensure that there are prison places for those serious and dangerous offenders who ought to be in prison and that courts have tough community sentences at their disposal to deal with less serious offenders. A working party is currently looking at the advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of establishing a Sentencing Commission that might among other things consider prison capacity.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions from the estate of his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.

Maria Eagle: The total CO2 emissions from the Ministry of Justice and its predecessors are approximately 69,617 tonnes between the years 2005-07. This data has previously been reported to be included in the Sustainable Development in Government report published in 2005-06, and the 2006-07 version due to be published early 2008. The breakdown includes:
	
		
			tonnes of CO 2 
			 2005-06 Former Home Office bodies 28,237 
			  Former DCA 5,943 
			 2006-07 Former Home Office bodies 28,925 
			  Former DCA 6,512 
		
	
	The increase of carbon emissions within former Home Office bodies has resulted from both an increase in prison population and in regime facilities, such as, in some cases the provision of showers for prisoners within cells opposed to providing showers within communal areas.
	Within former DCA, the increase has resulted from the significant organisational changes that DCA underwent when the magistrate courts migrated from local authority rule on to the HMCS estate.

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what property has been lost or stolen from his Department and its predecessor since 1997; and what the estimated cost of replacement was.

Maria Eagle: We have no recorded losses of assets against our asset register, which records individual assets capitalised at 10,000 and above. Our 'Loss of Accountable Stores' records identify the gross value of reported losses from 2002-03 as follows:
	
		
			
			 2002-03 12,723.94 
			 2003-04 9,994.25 
			 2004-05 2,242.58 
			 2005-06 378.82 
			 2006-07 641.74 
			 2007-08 (to date) 850.00 
		
	
	Security incident records compiled since 2002-03 identify a total of 489 incidents involving theft or loss. The nature or scale of the loss is not available from the statistics although 190 of the incidents involved theft of IT equipment, though most IT assets are provided by PFI providers. There is no separate record of associated replacement or cost.

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many external contracts his Department held with public relations companies in each of the last 10 years; and what the total cost of those contracts was.

Jack Straw: Since the Ministry of Justice came into existence on 9 May 2007, the Ministry and its agencies have signed seven contracts with PR agencies at a cost of 210,000.

Departmental Retirement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department retired on grounds of stress-related illness in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table below all ill health retirement figures within the Ministry of Justice's headquarters and agencies in each 12 month period from 1 January 2005.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice's agencies ill health retirements 1 January to 31 December 2005, 2006, 2007 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Ministry Of Justice Headquarters (1) (1) (1) 
			 
			 Ministry of Justices' Agencies:
			 Her Majesty's Prisons Service (1)47 (1)39 98 
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service (1) (1)4 30 
			 Office of the Public Guardian (1) (1) (1) 
			 Tribunals Service (1) (1) (1) 
			 Scotland Office and Offices of Advocate General (1) (1) (1) 
			 Office for Criminal Justice Reform(2) (1) (1) (1) 
			 National Offender Management Service(2) (1) (1) (1) 
			 (1) Denotes a number below five. Code of practise does not follow figures to be published that would identify individuals. (2) The database for National Offender Management Service and the Office of Criminal Justice Reform, does not record information about the medical condition which led to retirement; it simply states 'Medical Retirement'. There have been no medical retirements in NOMS/OCJR over the last three years.

Departmental Sick Leave

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of working days lost by his Department's staff was attributed to stress-related conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The Cabinet Office published a report on sickness absence in the civil service on 7 February 2008. The report included an analysis of the days lost due to sickness absence for each Department by reasons for absence. The following table sets out the figures for 2006-07 for the constituent parts of this Department, which were in place prior to the creation of the Ministry of Justice in May 2007.
	
		
			   Total days los t  (number)  Proportion lost to mental disorders( 1)( ) (percentage) 
			 Magistrates Court Committee 106,438 19 
			 HM Courts Service 60,911 17 
			 Former Department for Constitutional Affairs 9,689 14 
			 Tribunal Service 7,681 13 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 1,066 38 
			 Scotland Office 121 0 
			 Wales Office 95 6 
			 National Offender Management Service 11,135 20 
			 Office of Criminal Justice Reform 1,347 29 
			 HM Prison Service(1) 573,881 22 
			 (1) 22 per cent. of working days lost recorded for the public sector Prison Service in 2006-07 were attributable to mental and behavioural disorders, which include stress-related conditions.

Departmental Vehicles

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many vehicles were  (a) owned and  (b) purchased by his Department and its predecessors in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: Since the Ministry of Justice was only formed on 9 May 2007 my response refers to the former Department for Constitutional Affairs. The following table provides figures from the 2002-03 financial year to the end of the last full financial year. Information for the preceding five years is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total owned at end of year  Total purchased during year 
			 2002-03 406 11 
			 2003-04 279 0 
			 2004-05 89 0 
			 2005-06 41 2 
			 2006-07 91 42 
		
	
	I also refer the hon. Member to the response provided by the Department for Transport in respect of vehicles provided by GCDA.

Legal Aid: Expenditure

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on average per head on legal aid in the last year for which figures are available; and what comparative assessment he has made of equivalent figures for other EU countries.

Jack Straw: In 2006-07 average legal aid expenditure per head of population in England and Wales was 37. Ministry of Justice has not made a comparative assessment with other EU countries. However, all known studies suggest that England and Wales spend more per capita than any other jurisdiction.
	The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice published a report on European Judicial Systems in 2006, which included 2004 per head expenditure data. The following table shows a selection of countries.
	
		
			  Country   per head 
			 England and Wales 38 
			 Northern Ireland 32 
			 Scotland 30 
			 Netherlands 16 
			 Republic of Ireland 8 
			 Germany 4 
			 France 3 
		
	
	The full report is available online at:
	http://www.coe.int/t/dg1/legalcooperation/cepej/evaluation/2006/Report2006resume_en.pdf

Life Imprisonment

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were serving life sentences as of 1 February 2008; and how many were serving such sentences on that day or the nearest date for which figures are available in  (a) 1998 and  (b) 1988.

David Hanson: At the end of December 2007, the latest date for which the information is available, there were 6,700 prisoners serving life sentences in prison establishments in England and Wales. Equivalent figures for December 1998 and 1988 are not available however, at the end of  (a) June 1998 there were 3,950 and  (b) June 1988 there were 2,500 prisoners serving life sentences in prison establishments in England and Wales.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing, and so have been rounded to the nearest 50.

Offenders: Deportation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he or his officials have had with the Governments of non-EU states on  (a) the deportation from the United Kingdom of their citizens in custody in the UK and  (b) arrangements for their citizens to serve the remainder of their custodial sentence in their own countries in the last three years; and with which Governments such discussions have been held.

David Hanson: In addition to our normal contact with other Governments over the deportation of individuals, where there are difficulties in obtaining documentation these issues are taken up directly with the respective embassy or high commission. The UK has now established safe routes and re-documentation arrangements with a significant number of countries and this is aiding our ability to return prisoners and other people at an improving pace. In particular we have recently signed a returns agreement with China and we are working ever more closely with Governments around the world to facilitate removals.
	Since 2005, discussions on prison transfer agreements have taken place with St. Lucia, Tunisia, Yemen, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Argentina, Ghana, Libya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya, Botswana, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Columbia, Laos and Lesotho. The United Kingdom currently has agreement with 98 countries.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice by what means, other than completion of a rehabilitation course, prisoners on indeterminate sentences may demonstrate that their level of risk is sufficiently reduced for them to be released.

David Hanson: The release of a tariff expired indeterminate sentence prisoner is entirely a matter for the independent Parole Board. The statutory test applied by Parole Board panels in assessing risk in such cases, is whether they are satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined. Guidance on this matter is contained in Directions to the Parole Board on the Release and Recall of Life Sentence Prisoners, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	When determining whether or not such offenders should be released, the Parole Board will look at the relevant risk factors in the individual cases, the various ways in which these have been addressed during sentence, and the outcomes manifested. The ways might include formal accredited offending behaviour courses, one to one work on identified risk factors, educational or vocational interventions and achievements. The risk assessment and risk reduction processes are, of necessity, holistic ones, considering all relevant factors.
	Ultimate responsibility for the offender satisfying the Parole Board that the level of risk is reduced to the extent that he may be safely released into the community rests with the offender.

Post-Mortems: Children

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many post mortem examinations on children aged between five and 15 were not carried out by paediatric pathologists in each coroner's district in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available in the format requested. The Office of National Statistics collects data on the deaths of children in England aged between five and 15 years where a post mortem examination has been carried out. It is not broken down by coroner's district. The information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Death registrations in England by post mortem type, ages 5 to 15. Data from the Office of National Statistics 
			   Post mortem authorised by a coroner  Post mortem authorised by a doctor  Not known by whom post mortem authorised 
			 2006 493 22 4 
			 2005 533 18 5 
			 2004 507 18 1 
			 2003 579 19 2 
			 2002 571 25 4 
		
	
	Information is not collected centrally on how many of those post mortem examinations were carried out by paediatric pathologists.

Prison Sentences

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been detained on indeterminate sentences; and how many are currently so detained.

David Hanson: At the end of December 2007 there were 3,700 prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection in all prison establishments in England and Wales.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	No prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence may be considered for release until they have completed their tariff, that is, the period of imprisonment considered necessary to meet the requirements of retribution and deterrence. The Parole Board may direct a tariff-expired indeterminate sentence prisoner's release only if it is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should be confined.
	As at 31 January 2008, 17 prisoners serving indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) have been released. 16 of these were on the direction of the Parole Board. In the seventeenth case the prisoner was released before tariff expiry on compassionate grounds due to ill health and has since died.

Prison Sentences

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners on indeterminate sentences are detained although their minimum term has expired.

David Hanson: The Public Protection Unit of the National Offender Management Service, the pre-release section (PRS) maintains a limited database on those offenders sentenced to imprisonment for public protection (IPP). This indicates that, as at 1 January 2008, 535 such offenders were being held in prison beyond their tariff expiry date.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	The Department is developing a new database that will allow it to accurately capture the information requested. It is expected that the new database will go live by April.

Prison Service

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the national procurement system for the Prison Service.

David Hanson: The decision to introduce a national procurement system was taken following the production of a full business case.
	The benefits anticipated in the business case have been reviewed annually by the Prison Service and the results independently validated by the National Audit Office.

Prisoners

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people  (a) of each sex and  (b) in each 10-year age cohort are in prison.

David Hanson: The following table shows the population in prison establishments in England and Wales as at the end of June 2006, broken down by gender and age band:
	
		
			   Total  Males  Females 
			 All ages 63,493 59,981 3,512 
			 15-17 1,865 1,814 50 
			 18-20 5,992 5,720 272 
			 21-24 10,176 9,624 552 
			 25-29 12,069 11,361 708 
			 30-39 17,945 16,851 1,094 
			 40-49 9,975 9,368 606 
			 50-59 3,706 3,517 189 
			 60 and over 1,765 1,725 40 
		
	
	The table is taken from table 8.6 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2006, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library and which can be found at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Females

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women were imprisoned for theft in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each English region in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: The following table gives the number of women sentenced to immediate custody for theft and handling in England and Wales and each English region in each year since 1997.
	
		
			  Women sentenced to immediate custody for theft and handling( 1) offences by region, 1997-2006 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Metropolitan Police(2) 536 598 627 677 592 728 679 549 508 514 
			 North West 578 660 767 754 632 696 677 622 506 517 
			 North East 304 366 585 626 705 708 702 509 376 373 
			 Midlands 124 156 210 363 354 428 388 376 327 366 
			 Eastern 113 202 261 288 313 335 314 319 234 231 
			 South East 258 331 390 373 506 539 556 556 520 469 
			 South West 93 145 208 165 178 226 185 187 169 156 
			 England 2,006 2,458 3,048 3,246 3,280 3,660 3,501 3,118 2,640 2,626 
			 Wales 82 92 113 126 123 117 105 121 129 113 
			 England and Wales 2,088 2,550 3,161 3,372 3,403 3,777 3,606 3,239 2,769 2,739 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Includes City of London  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Females

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women were held in men's prisons in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Women prisoners are held in designated women's units and prisons. In exceptional individual circumstances women may be held separately within a male prison for a short period.
	The following is a count of female prisoners by establishments in England and Wales as at 31 December 2007:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Askham Grange 112 
			 Bronzefield 422 
			 Downview 346 
			 Drake Hall 290 
			 East Sutton Park 89 
			 Eastwood Park 318 
			 Foston Hall 248 
			 Holloway 465 
			 Low Newton 299 
			 Morton Hall 355 
			 New Hall 401 
			 Peterborough 346 
			 Send 211 
			 Styal 428 
			 Total 4,330 
		
	
	This information is published at the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.iustice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custody-dec07.xls
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on average per prisoner for  (a) education,  (b) provision of televisions, games consoles and computers in cells and  (c) food in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The requested annual figures for prisoners in English and Welsh public sector prisons are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend( 1)  per prisoner on:  Number of in-cell T/V sets purchased 
			   Education( 2 ) ()  Food( 3)  ()  
			 1997-98 616 497  
			 1998-99 669 549 10,388 
			 1999-2000 764 545 4,938 
			 2000-01 882 600 13,580 
			 2001-02 966 636 8,488 
			 2002-03 1,114 626 12,616 
			 2003-04 1,789 661 5,975 
			 2004-05 1,763 681 13,791 
			 2005-06 2,037 702 9,171 
			 2006-07 2,047 722 12,450 
			 (1) Rounded to the nearest (2) For 2001-02 to 2006-07 inclusivebased on DIUS (and its predecessors') spend on education and training for public prisons in England and Wales (adults, young offenders and juveniles) and includes libraries and funding provided for Heads of Learning and Skills in prisons. For 1997-98 to 2000-01 - based on HMPS spend on a similar basis and also includes libraries and education materials. This figure does not capture all education and training costs that occur in areas such as prison workshops as it is not possible to separate out specific costs relating to these activities in these functions as they are an integral part of the service. (3) Cost of food not cost of catering. Figures for 1997-98; 1998-99 and 1999-2000 are partly based on the estimated cost of providing fresh produce internally via prison farms and gardens. 
		
	
	Full expenditure data on games consoles and computers in cells is not held centrally and the collection of this information would be at disproportionate cost.
	Since 1998 there has been a programme of purchasing television sets for prisoners' use in their cells. The number of sets purchased, in these circumstances is shown in the table with the exception of 1998-99 when 500,000 of public funds were used to start up the In-Cell TV initiative, all of these sets have been funded from the weekly rental charges collected from prisoners.

Prisoners: Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1438W, on prisoners: taxis, how much the Prison Service spent on all taxi journeys in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested can not be provided as the Prison Service does not capture data to that level of detail within its accounting system.

Probation Boards: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the projected budget for 2008-09 is for each Director of Management within the probation and prison services.

Maria Eagle: The budgets for the Regional Offender Managers (ROM) / Directors of Offender Management (DOM) for 2008-09 are still subject to negotiation. The following table gives indicative figures for ROM / DOM budgets for prison and probation services as at 8 January 2008:
	
		
			  Region  Resource budget 2008-09( 1)  () 
			 ROM East Midlands 253,411,316 
			 ROM East of England 199,969,530 
			 DOM London 275,540,688 
			 ROM North East 143,261,062 
			 ROM North West 306,360,777 
			 ROM South East 342,149,791 
			 ROM South West 197,621,424 
			 DOM Wales 88,095,690 
			 ROM West Midlands 220,903,450 
			 ROM Yorkshire and Humberside 222,814,450 
			 (1 )indicative as at 8 January 2008 
		
	
	These figures do not include budgets for private prisons or centrally commissioned services such: as the high security estate. Please note, these figures are indicative and are subject to change.

Road Traffic Offences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) parking tickets and  (b) speeding fines were issued for vehicles used by his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse of those penalties was in each year.

Jack Straw: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Parking tickets
	Information relating to the exact number of tickets issued during each year is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The following table provides figures for parking fines paid by our agent from 1999 to date.
	
		
			
			 1999 480.00 
			 2000 1,141.50 
			 2001 2,383.50 
			 2002 3,665.00 
			 2003 100.00 
			 2004 1,470.00 
			 2005 1,150.00 
			 2006 347.50 
			 2007 410.00 
			 2008 0 
		
	
	 (b) Speeding fines
	The Ministry or its agents have paid no speeding fines. When a fixed penalty notice (or notice of impending prosecution) is received it is returned to the issuing authority with the driver's name and address. A central record is not kept of these occurrences.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the response provided by the Department for Transport in respect of vehicles provided by GCDA.

Road Traffic Offences

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) imprisonable and  (b) non-imprisonable driving offences were committed by holders of European driving licences in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Breaches of road traffic legislations can be dealt with by written warnings (including formal cautions), fixed penalty notices and court proceedings. The data held centrally by my Department on these actions are unable to distinguish offences committed by foreign licence holders.

Sentencing: Domestic Violence

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of offenders who were tried in a specialist domestic violence court received  (a) bail,  (b) fines and  (c) non-custodial sentences in the last period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: There is no specific data available on court bail decisions for those defendants appearing in the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts. As data are only collected on sentence on such cases at a local level where required to assist in implementation and maintenance of the model, a complete sentencing data set is not available.

Sexual Harassment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints of  (a) sexual harassment and  (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: In the period January 2007 to December 2007 the following number of formal complaints on the grounds of sexual discrimination were received:
	Ex-Department of Constitutional Affairs4
	National Offender Management Service0
	Office of Criminal Justice Reform0
	Total4
	In the ex-DCA complaints on the grounds of sexual harassment are recorded with other types of complaint under the general heading of conduct. The system for logging complaints does not provide a separate category for sexual harassment, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The public sector Prison Service does not have systems in place that hold centrally validated information in respect of complaints of sexual harassment or discrimination and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Service recognises that sexual harassment is a serious issue and has agreed a series of actions to identify and address sexual harassment. One of the primary actions required under the agreement with EHRC is to review all complaints which have occurred in establishments from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006. This information is currently the subject to quality controls and validation.

Statute Law (Repeals) Bill

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to bring forward a Statute Law (Repeals) Bill in this session in response to the recent report from the Law Commission.

Michael Wills: It is the Government's intention to introduce a Bill to give effect to the proposed Statute Law (Repeals) Bill as soon as possible in the current Session.